Tales of a Lion and a Mage
by 1337kitsune
Summary: Every day is filled with stories, and every story is filled with possibilities. Whether it be a redeeming friendship or a forbidden love though is up to those who live the story. Tales however can hold even more possibilities...especially when they speak of a Lion and a Mage.
1. Star Wishes

My one-shots are always lengthy...aren't they? Anyways...oh jeez...where to start? Okay, a few days ago I started watching the Fairy Tail anime, for lack of anything better to do. And wouldn't you know it, I got addcited to seeing Lucy and Loke together. So I started browsing the fanfiction archieves, in short, I read almost every Lucy/Loke fanfic on the site. There wasn't that many.

Only four-and-a-half pages to be honest... So I thought I would contribute to the awesomeness that is this pairing. After all, they deserve more love. I should also probably warn you, this isn't a one-shot one-shot. This is a collection of one-shots! Woo! I'm aiming for...well...as many as I can think of. So don't be afraid to drop an idea, I only have about ten or fifteen to start...with...CRAP! MY IDEAS! THEY GOT ERASED WHEN MY COMPUTER STARTED LAST NIGHT!

T^T *few minutes after typing what little ideas she remembers* Okay...right...I can't remember most of them... Wait... That idea was a One Piece story, but it fits better for Fairy Tail! THANK YOU GOD! Okay, back on track. Don't be afraid to give me ideas! I only have thirteen. Oo, lucky number! Wait...fourteen! *writes down another idea*

Okay, so, this is the first of many one-shots I'm doing for my new OTP. I think this shall now be my true OTP... So, let's get it started!

Disclaimer: I hate this but their mandatory. So, I don't own Fairy Tail. If I did, it wouldn't be a manga cause I suck at drawing. It would instead be a book. And probably not a good one since it would focus on all the romance...well...it'd be a good book for the fangirls but not for the guys out there XD So, that's all. Don't own any of the characters or story-line or anything. Just the arranging and telling of the words.

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><p><strong>Star Wishes <strong>

x

Ever since Lucy was a little girl she would love to climb up to a high place and gaze at the stars. She would sometimes spend hours on the roof or her own personal balcony, tracing the constellations that had been taught to her with a small hand. She had always found comfort in the stars, knowing that they were always watching over her. Of course, her love for the stars only increased after she started using the Gate Keys and became a Stellar mage.

"Another month's rent gone up in flames...again..." the blonde grumbled while opening the door to her apartment, kicking it closed, and throwing her house keys and purse randomly towards the desk or floor or something. She really didn't care when they landed right now, she was too fed up with her so called _team_. Honestly, normal teammates didn't cost you rent by destroying half a town while on a job.

Simple disbanding of a dark guild her ass. There had been about three dark guilds on an alliance instead of just one. And it had been only the four of them, five if you counted Happy, which Lucy didn't. Heck, if it hadn't been for Loke's timely arrival, than Lucy would bet anything that the whole town would have been destroyed by a rampaging Dragon Slayer.

Stupid Natsu, always overdoing things.

"Well...I'm sure I'll scrape by somehow..." Lucy sighed while walking to her room, kicking her boots off, and flopping onto her bed. She wasn't very hungry, even though it had been a few hours since she had last eaten. And she didn't feel like getting up to take a bath, although she probably would later. "I mean...I always find a way to get rent...but still...it would be nice to have _one_ mission where we got our full reward instead of paying for repairs!"

The mage just let out another puff of breath, trying to calm down so she didn't get worked up again. She had already raged enough by taking her frustration out on Natsu and Gray. She also had Gray carry Natsu after the five hours on the train, just to get her revenge. Erza didn't seem to mind, since she thought it would be a good idea. She had been hoping it would make them more friendly towards one another.

"Mama..." Lucy muttered to herself while looking out her window and up to the stars, "Remember when you would always find me on the roof? Stargazing...you said it was like me and the stars could never be separated from one another..." Lucy let a tired and sad smile slip out while pulling out her gate keys. Her keys...the things that she perhaps treasured above all others. They weren't just fancy keys for showing off, these keys held the magic that allowed her to create gateways to the celestial world.

Keys that allowed her to summon the Spirits.

"I really hope what you said turns out true Mama," Lucy muttered while gazing at the keys. Many celestial mages before her had abused the keys she now held. Treated them nothing more as things to be used. That thought had always made Lucy sad. The spirits weren't mean to be used like that, they were meant to be treated with respect by the mages. They were meant to be partners and work together... "Never separated from the stars...huh?"

Glancing back at the sky one more time, Lucy sighed before rolling over onto her side. She hated coming home after a mission like the last one. Multiple wounds, which hurt like _hell _all over. Depleted magic, which made her ache with fatigue. And no money to show for it, which wounded her pride, which was shrinking by the mission.

Not to mention that no money meant no rent money this month either. It was frustrating but...Lucy still wouldn't trade the guild she had. Even if there were times when she wanted to attack them all by herself, they were still family to her. At least, closer than most of her real family had been to her. Flaming haired idiots, stripping ice mages, scary warriors and all. Not to mention the flying cats and rambunctious others.

Lucy chuckled to herself while glancing out the window again, hating that she felt so far away from the sky she loved. "I suppose...it wouldn't hurt to go out there just for a little while..." the blonde muttered to herself softly before making up her mind. Quickly jumping off the bed and slipping into some warm but flexible boots, Lucy grabbed a spare blanket and her gate keys.

Smiling she carefully tucked the keys into her pocket while swiftly wrapping the blanket around her shoulders, making sure she wouldn't get cold, and stepped out her window, carefully making her way up to the apex of the roof. She almost slipped once or twice, but she had practice at keeping her balance on roofs. Both from when she was little and from chasing after Natsu all the time.

Sure it may not have been as glamorous as the roof she had seen the stars from as a little kid, but it was still just as amazing, if not better. On this roof, in this town, she felt so much love. As cheesy as it sounded to her and everyone else. It was like she could feel the bonds connecting her to all of her nakama. If she closed her eyes, she could sometimes feel the colors and feelings of the bonds. She had laughed about it to herself one night.

Natsu's was definitely pink, or as he liked to call it, salmon. Lucy was confused when she first realized this, thinking it would have been red or scarlet for the color of his flames, but it made more sense when she felt Erza's bond. The Queen of the Fairies was indeed a deep scarlet, just like her hair. Gray's was obviously a light blue, the same color as his ice. Juvia's would be darker, like the water. And Happy's would be white. Pure and innocent, just like he was.

Lucy could have gone on for hours, naming the color and feel of every bond she felt with her nakama, but the one that puzzled her most, was the one she couldn't place. Sometimes she could feel it, and other times she couldn't. Which was strange in itself, since she could always feel her nakama, no matter how far away they were. The only word she could think to describe it was puzzling, of course, that didn't stop her from trying to figure out who's bond it was when she did feel it.

So far she had figured that the color would be an orange or ginger. Maybe tawny. Like a lion or cat. The feel of the bond was always changing however, and that was what puzzled the celestial spirit mage the most. When she had first felt it, it felt afraid, scared and...guilty... Like whoever it was held onto a deep regret that they couldn't, or wouldn't, let go of. Of course, that had only been one time, after that, it just kept changing.

Soon it felt grateful towards her, happy, alive. Just a few weeks after that it started feeling different yet again. The same feelings were still there, but new ones were being added. The most prominent being loyalty. The willingness to die to protect her from harm. Lucy had once read that dogs were loyal to anyone who treated them nicely, but cats were only loyal to those who had earned their trust the hard way. And for some reason, that explanation always came back to her when she felt that mysterious bond.

Lucy sighed once again before leaning back against the roof and looking at the stars, thinking on the most recent feeling she had felt. It felt like the happy and loyalty feeling but...different. It felt...warmer. More intense. It wasn't a bad feeling, in fact, Lucy quite liked it, her only problem being that she had no clue who the bond belonged to. "Stupid complex guild...just when I think I got them all figured out..."

A small chuckle escaped her lips soon after she said that. She knew what she had said wasn't true. Fairy Tail would be a guild that no one would be able to fully figure out, not even it's members would ever fully be able to discover all it's secrets.. Do Fairies have tails? An eternal mystery. Just like the guild. A never-ending adventure. At least, Lucy hoped it would be never-ending. Living in this town and being with all her nakama? She wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

A small sound behind Lucy caused her to tilt her head back and look over. She shrugged it off when she didn't see anything. She did feel a small presence though...one that felt familiar to her. It also felt confused and curious. Although she couldn't place why it felt so familiar to her. It reminded her of cats and the stars she had come to gaze at though. Suppressing another chuckle Lucy tilted her head back towards the stars and gazed at them intently.

"Hey...Mama...remember when I used to wish upon stars as a little girl?" Lucy asked the sky quietly, smiling softly as she thought back to her childhood. That presence seemed to grow a bit stronger, as if interested in what she was saying, but she shrugged it off. She sensed no ill intent from whatever it was, so she would worry about it another time. "Yeah...Papa complained on how I was always doing something so pointless..."

Lucy had always wished upon stars, although she never knew why. She didn't even remember when she had made her first star wish. She just knew that it had always made her feel better, talking to the stars. To confess all of her hidden secrets, her small and struggling hopes, and her silent dreams that no one else knew. She would tell everything to the stars who watched over her. Besides, she always knew that they would keep her secrets.

"Remember the time I wished you would get better? ...That was one wish that didn't come true..." Lucy muttered, her eyes tearing up with the memories. The presence surged with emotions as she trailed off. Lucy thought she felt sadness and empathy among them, along with concern and the urge to comfort her. She wasn't sure though, her mind was too far gone in memories to pay attention to what was happening around her.

She hated thinking about the past, but...sometimes she just couldn't help herself. Even if the past would always be something she cried over and avoided, it was still apart of her. Especially when she remembered that memory. That single memory... The last time she had wished upon a star in the sky, which had been so long ago. Almost seven years really, right before her mother died.

"Remember Mama? I sat up on the roof every night, wishing to the same star that you would get better? Of course...I guess the star couldn't grant my wish in the end," Lucy quickly used her hand to wipe away the tears that were staring to roll down her face. The presence surged with concern, making her feel as if it wanted her to stop talking. To just stop putting herself through all of the turmoil she was feeling. She knew she couldn't though. She _had_ to keep taking. Keep telling her tale.

"Remember how you told me to never stop wishing on the stars? Well...for a long time after you were gone...I did stop wishing," Lucy confessed quietly and winced once the words were fully out, as if she was afraid she would get yelled at for what she had done. Instead of guilt though, she felt a strange surge of warmth fill her, as if giving her the strength to continue with her story.

"Not only that, you also told me to never stop believing in the stars and...I did stop...for awhile..." Lucy sighed before looking back towards her favorite constellation, the same one that had the star she had wished upon so long ago, back when she was little and thought it could grant all her wishes. The surge of warmth continued to fill her, even more so as she looked at her wishing star.

"After that though...I started learning more about the Gate Keys, and I started getting to know my spirits and...they were so amazing Mama. Every one of them, although...a few did have some attitude problems...still do..." Lucy muttered while glaring down at her keys, thinking of Aquarius and Taurus in particular. The presence felt like it was doing it's best to hold in it's laughter as she glared down at the keys. "Still...they helped me learn to believe in the stars again...

"I wonder...if the star would still hear my wish..." the blonde muttered softly while glancing at the sky, tracing the constellation with her finger, slowly stopping on the star she had wished on when she was little. The presence seemed to hold it's breath, as if it had realized what star she had stopped on. That star had been the first one she had learned the name of, which made her feel all the more closer to it. Of course, she couldn't help but laugh at the irony of it all when she had received one Gate Key in particular.

"Regulus..." Lucy murmured while staring at the star, feeling like a little kid again. The presence surged with shock and even more warmth than the last few times. Lucy ignored it in favor of staring up at her favorite star. No matter how old she became, she would always feel like a small child when looking at the timeless stars. Especially when gazing up at Regulus, the first star she had grown close to.

"Ne...Regulus...remember how we used to talk all the time? You would always listen to me, and always help me with what I needed. I'm not mad at you for not saving Mama anymore either... Deep down..." here Lucy bit her lip, closing her eyes for a split second before looking back up, "Deep down...I knew that she wouldn't see me wish upon any more stars..." The presence seemed to echo her sadness before filling her with warmth and strength again. Strength to continue her tale.

"You know what though, even when I stopped believing in you after that, you always kept on watching over me, didn't you?" Here the presence felt confused and intrigued. Lucy smiled slowly as she started to realize that she wasn't just talking to Regulus anymore. Not that she minded too much right now.

"When I was lost in the woods one night, I followed your path in the sky, and you led me to Hargeon. You led me to Natsu and Happy...you led me right to Fairy Tail right when I needed them most..." here Lucy swallowed back another choked sob. The presence seemed to hear her as she felt more warmth overcome her, and concern. She also felt shock at what she had just told the stars.

She smiled softly again before glancing back up at the stars and feeling the presence fill her with the strength she need to continue. She wasn't exactly sure why she was crying, but she didn't feel ashamed of it. Out here under the stars...she would never feel foolish of what she said or did.

The stars would always hide her secrets for her.

Lucy let out another sigh as a few tears slipped down her cheeks again. A quick grip of her keys and she was back to telling her story. She didn't know why, but she just knew that she had to tell Regulus all of this herself. Otherwise she would never feel satisfied, and her Mama would always be frowning at her for not doing what she needed to do.

"Ne...you even looked out for me after I joined, didn't you? When I was battling on that stupid S-Class mission, and that girl had control of my stellar spirits...you were right there, cheering me on." Lucy felt the surge of shock from the presence, as if angry that someone besides a Stellar mage had attempted to control the spirits. It was the same feeling that Lucy had felt when she had faced the girl. Controlling the spirits when not a Stellar mage was something unforgivable.

"Heh...just looking up at the sky you helped me realize how to do forced gate closure, and that I needed to use Aquarius to win. You even gave me strength after the attack, just so I could keep on standing and battling, so I could keep on helping my nakama..." The presence seemed to calm down a little at hearing how Regulus had helped her. As if feeling appeased and happy.

"You even helped me when Phantom kidnapped me, didn't you?" More shock filled Lucy, although once again it was not her own, "Even when you were hidden away during the day, asleep, you were still silently watching over me, cheering me on and urging me, telling me to think of a way to fight back, not matter what it was..."

The tears on the mage's cheeks were now flowing faster than before, causing more concern to fill her, although again, it wasn't her own. "A-And after that...you gave me one of the greatest things of all...you gave me Loke." The presence's shock had to be the greatest after hearing those last few words.

Yes. Lucy hadn't noticed when she had first helped her lion, but after a few days, when it all sank in, she realized that Regulus had always been looking out for her all along, even when she hadn't realized it. "You know, he's kinda a playboy...and he flirts with almost any girl he sees...he goes on dates when I need him most," here, while the presence was feeling guilt and anger at itself, Lucy thought back to the Edolous incident, sighing when she remembered just what lengths Loke had gone to for her to forgive him.

Kana and Mira were still talking about the leash and kitty-ears...

"Even though there's so much about him that bugs me and makes me want to punch him or skewer him with one of Erza's swords..." Lucy muttered, gripping her keys tighter, not even realizing it was Leo the Lion's key she was holding onto so tightly. Although she did notice the surge of sadness from the presence that had been around her this whole time.

"He always comes through for me in the end... Did you know he sometimes pops in just to check on me and see if I'm okay? He also cleaned my apartment one time, back when Natsu and Gray had completely trashed it! He's..." here Lucy trailed off in her explanation as the presence surged with too many emotions for her to sort through. Although she could have sworn she felt happiness and relief at the front of the swell of emotions. She also felt some confusion as to why she had stopped talking. She was confused herself though.

What was Loke to her?

He was nakama. Ever since she had joined Fairy Tail he had been nakama, even when he had avoided her due to his past, she still counted him as nakama. He was a close friend, that was for sure. She remembered when he fought for her during Phantom's attack. She had been barely conscious at the time, but she remembered seeing Loke's vivid orange hair and his serious face at how weak she was.

Soon after that she had become even closer to him, which is why she had been so hurt and confused when he had said he didn't have much time left, telling her it was some bogus pick-up line. Of course, Lucy now knew that it hadn't been, he had just said that so he wouldn't involve Lucy in his problems. "My clueless little lion," Lucy sighed while chuckling, not very sure what she herself had meant by that. The presence seemed to surge with embarrassment and confusion both at the same time though.

After she figured out why he was acting like that however, he had become her Stellar Spirit. Leo the Lion. The toughest of the Zodiacs, not that she cared about that. He could have been the weakest and Lucy wouldn't feel any different about him. He was still her stellar spirit but...something felt different, although she didn't know what it was.

For awhile now...it felt like her bond with Loke was slowly changing...becoming something more complex and...and just more. It worried her. She didn't want to lose Loke as a friend. Lucy may have been tough, but she couldn't stand losing a friend or nakama. She didn't think anyone in Fairy Tail could. They were all so close to one another.

"Ne, Regulus...will you still listen to my wish?" Lucy asked as more tears slipped past her watch. She felt the presence grow more intense, as if it too was willing to listen to her wish, but she didn't bother thinking on it too long. She had to make her wish, before she backed out. "Starlight starbright, first star I see tonight..." Lucy stopped to take in a sharp intake of breathe. It felt like she was a little girl again, sitting on the roof and wishing with all her might.

"I wish I may...I wish I might. Have the wish...I wish tonight," Lucy recited with pauses, as if she wasn't sure she could still remember the words her mother had taught her. She was therefore surprised when the words had come back to her without her even struggling. Looked like Regulus was still watching over her, even now. "I wish..."

And that was where Lucy stopped. Even the presence seemed to hold it's breath, wondering what she would say. What did she even wish for? There was so much that she wanted to say to Regulus, so much she wanted to tell the star that she had ignored for so long. "I wish...you would help me..."

Tears were still streaming down Lucy's face as she took a deep breath. Not even she was sure what she had meant by that. Help me figure out what I should write next in my book? Help me figure out how to kill Natsu and Gray? Help me figure out how I'm gonna pay rent? Even with all those questions swarming in her brain, Lucy knew, without a doubt, that her wish somehow pertained to Loke.

"That's a pretty broad wish Princess," a smooth and deep voice spoke from behind her, the presence she had felt in the back of her mind all night finally making itself known. Of course, when she finally realized just who it was, she was was torn between wanting to hide in embarrassment or stabbing the guy with one of Erza's swords. Besides, Lucy didn't think Erza would mind too much.

"Yeah well...screw you..." Lucy muttered while pulling the blanket over her face, wishing she could just sink into the roof and hide there for a few hundred years. It was made even worse by the fact that Loke was now laughing at her. Well, if she was honest, it wasn't so much as laughing at him as chuckling in amusement. Which was a lot better than outright laughing. Besides, she liked his chuckle, it sounded deep and rich, and made her think of his smile, which was... Wait... The groan of distress Lucy made was enough for Loke to stop chuckling, although it wasn't that which had made her groan.

Stupid thoughts.

"Hey, Princess? You know I wasn't laughing at you to be mean...right?" Lucy peeked her head out from under her temporary hiding place, startled when she saw that Loke was sitting down in front of her now, looking very unsure, as if he was scared that he had really hurt her. Lucy was tempted to sequel at the sight and aw, but she wasn't a writer for nothing. She knew how to suppress emotions and put on a good poker face with the best of them.

"How long have you been here?" Lucy muttered while Loke scratched his head guiltily. Lucy was distracted for a second as she felt that mysterious and eluding bond for a few seconds before disappearing. What was that? And why did it always disappear before she could pinpoint it! Her attention was drawn back to Loke however when he started talking.

"Well...see...technically you summoned me..." Loke trailed off, looking at Lucy's shocked expression before launching into a more detailed explanation. "I really don't know how to explain it Lucy...it was like...it didn't feel like you used the key, but it felt like you were calling me... I was kinda curious so I used my own magic to go through the gate and I nearly fell of the roof when I first popped in..." At that Lucy giggled into her hands, the image of Loke fighting for his balance was something that she just couldn't help but laugh at. "Glad to see you find that amusing..."

"Sorry sorry, but you never really explained how long you've been here..." Lucy narrowed her eyes, the effect was slightly ruined by the tears that were still running down her cheeks, which would just _not _stop, it did the trick though, since Loke was now looking even more nervous than before. He also looked a little sad.

"Well...I'd say it was somewhere around the stupid complex guild part," Loke winced and shut his eyes, fully expecting to be knocked off the roof. Lucy of course was too shocked to do anything. That had been around the time she had first climbed onto the roof, which meant he had heard _everything_. Well...guess she knew that that sound had been back when she had first started looking up at the sky.

She also now knew why she had felt no ill intentions towards her from the _presence_. So...Loke had been there the whole time, and all those emotions she had felt must have been his... Instead of knocking him off the roof, which was a tempting thought at first, she just sat up and looked back up at Regulus.

Lucy supposed that this was the star's version of humor and irony.

"Well...I suppose it wasn't entirely your fault..." Lucy muttered while thinking back on what Loke had told her. Was she thinking of Loke at that time? She hadn't thought so...she thought she had been thinking of the all the bonds with her nakama, and that mysterious bond that she could just not place. So how could she have summoned Loke? And without the key or chant no less!

"R-Really?" Lucy glanced back to see that Loke really had been scared of her, for intruding on such a private moment that she hadn't wanted to share with anyone but her favorite star. In a way, it was kinda cute. And it did show that Loke really cared fore her, not wanting her to feel betrayed since he had heard her secrets. She supposed she could forgive him just this once, since he really did care about her.

"Really," Lucy smiled before sitting up some more and scooting over towards Loke, sitting down in his lap before looking back up at the stars, one in particular. Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she realized that the expression on Loke's face would have been worth sitting on his lap just for that, but that wasn't why she had sat on his lap. It was because she really wanted to be hugged.

Lucy didn't really get it either.

She just knew that she needed a hug, like she always did after talking to the stars for long periods of time. "Ne...Loke..." A sound of acknowledgment, the _presence_ willing to listen but also startled, was all she needed to continue, "Can I have a hug?" The next thing she knew was that she was being hugged tightly, but carefully, from behind as the spirit's head snuggled into the side of her neck. She guessed that meant his answer had been yes.

"You have no clue just how beautiful and cute you are Princess..." Loke murmured softly while hugging her tighter, Lucy just grinned before relaxing into his embrace, feeling the warmth radiating from him, the same warmth that the presence had given her so she could continue her story. She wasn't even sure if she had been asking Loke to hug her as a friend, or as something more, although she had a pretty good idea which one it had been.

A few seconds later and Lucy was startled out of her thoughts when she felt a warm hand brush the tears away from her face before they could dry. She felt the warmth from before but...no... No...it was warmth but...deeper...more intense. It was also feeling like an echo of what she herself was feeling right than.

Lucy was too wrapped up in her thoughts to notice that Loke was now laying down on the roof, pulling her down with him as he hugged her tightly to her chest. As if unwilling to let go. When Lucy finally came back to reality, she realized that Loke was now the one gazing up at the stars and she was happily snuggled into his chest.

"Ne, Loke..." Lucy trailed off while snuggling into the spirit's chest deeper. She wanted to tell him something, but she was so tired right now. Talking to the stars always had the effect of making her tired. She felt Loke adjust their position to where she would be more comfortable.

"What's up Princess?" Lucy grinned to herself, she could just imagine the smirk he had on his face. She could also imagine his green eyes, smiling on their own. Although they were probably still covered with his glasses, which he almost never took off. "Princess?" Loke asked more softly before sighing and readjusting the blanket around her, making sure she was covered properly. "Ya know Princess...you can be quite confusing..."

Lucy chanced a quick glance up at Loke's face, making sure that she wasn't seen looking, only to see that he was smiling down at her. And not his fake smile or flirting smile or charming smile or anything. It was that genuine smile full of happiness and care. The one that she so rarely got to see from him but loved all the same.

"I really am glad that your wishing star is Regulus, Princess...maybe that's why you're able to summon me so easily, and without a key... Maybe that's why we're so connected to one another... Maybe that's just one of the reasons why..." At this point that mysterious bond she had felt flared around her. So that explained it...

"Thanks Loke," Lucy grinned up at Loke's shocked expression before snuggling back down into his chest, basking in the warmth that surrounded them both. Her thanks had been as vague as her wish. Although, she was thankful to him for a lot of things. Always being there for her. Wiping her tears away. Cheering her up. Holding her when she needed a hug. And always promising to protect her and let no harm come to her. The most important thing however...

She finally knew who that bond belonged to.

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><p>So...did ya like it? Surprisingly it didn't take that long, where I was so into it. Amazing what the OTP can do for ya! XD So, if you want, please drop a review. Give me a story idea, flame me out, cuss me out, praise me, say I'm weird, do whatever. Even if I don't get reviews I'm still gonna update, otherwise I wouldn't feel right about it... So, I guess...bye for now.<p>

I feel like there's something important I'm forgetting to say...but I can't...remember... Hmph. Well...that's annoying... Darn it! It was important too!


	2. Wish of Regret

I know it's shorter than the last one, but it's still good. Also...um...all I can say is, please don't kill me. Please...

Disclaimer : I don't own Fairy Tail or *wince* Message of Regret. A song sung by the Vocaloids. If you know what song I'm talking about, you probably wanna kill me right now, don't you? So...yeah...

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><p><strong>Wish of Regret<strong>

"_Honestly Loke...you really believe that something like that will work?" Lucy scoffed while watching as Loke just shot a grin back at her. They were on a small hill that overlooked a peaceful valley. Lucy was now sitting against a tree with her notebook resting on her lap, while Loke was standing on top of the hill, letting the wind carry away a small piece of paper. "There's no way something as simple as that will make you wish come true!"_

"_Would you like to try, Princess?" Loke asked with an easy grin, turning around to see Lucy cross her arms and humph. As if irritated by the spirit's easy-going attitude. Honestly_

"_No way." Lucy frowned while leaning back against her tree and slightly glaring at Loke, although it had a playful feel to it, "Something like that doesn't even warrant the bother to try. Besides..." Lucy trailed off while turning her head away from her spirit. Loke looked interested, but also confused, what would make her shy enough to avoid his gaze?_

"_I don't need to try that...because all my wishes can be granted by you!" At this Lucy grinned widely before turning back to face a startled Loke, who was shocked that his master had so much trust in him. A slow smile started crawling onto his face as he gazed back at his Princess._

"_I see..." Loke chuckled while turning back around to look up at the stars. Lucy really was a hard girl to figure out, not that he minded. No matter what his Lucy was like, he would always love and protect her. _

Lucy hadn't even known that something like this was possible. It shouldn't have been. It had never happened before. The Gate Keys that the Celestial Mages held were supposed to be indestructible. They had been forged by magic to hold the spirit gates and endure even the toughest of environments. To think that one could possibly break...let alone it being one of the Twelve Zodiac Keys! It was just...it was supposed to have been impossible...

"Loke..." Lucy sighed while standing on top of a small secluded hill, the same one that she had came too with Loke what had seemed so long ago. The valley was amazing as the last rays of the sun fell on everything. Had she been here in another time, it might have been so beautiful. As it was, she barely even noticed it. All she noticed was the thin slip of paper that she held in her hands.

It couldn't have been any larger than her palm, or heavier than a feather, but she held onto it as if it was one of her Gate Keys. Something that was to be treasured and could never be replaced.

"_Ne, Princess, have you heard this story?"_

Lucy slowly brought the piece of paper up to her lips, holding it with both hands and closing her eyes. She was sure that what she was about to do would make no difference...but...she had to try something. She had to try something that would give her some hope. Otherwise...she just couldn't handle it...

After all...Loke had said it would work...and Loke had never lied to her. He never would do that. Write your wish on a piece of paper, he said, and let the wind carry it up to the stars. There it would be heard and granted...

"_What are you always wishing for, to be doing this every time we come here?" Lucy asked while sketching in the small notebook she had brought with her. The two were up on their hill and Loke had just released his piece of paper that contained his wish. The lion spirit half turned around and smirked at her, giving Lucy the feeling that she was about to hear a joke at her expense._

"_For my Princess to realize that her handsome Prince is right in front of her," he grinned before winking, the glasses that he always wore slightly slipping down his nose. Lucy seemed to blush a thousand shades of red before she could find her voice to try and argue with him._

"_Wha-?"_

"_I'm kidding Princess," Loke smiled again, only this time it was softer and more sincere. "I'm wishing that my Princess will always be happy."_

"_Jeez..." Lucy muttered while trying to get her face to go back to a color besides bright red. Loke grinned as Lucy went back to doodling a certain spirit in her book, "If that's all...than all you need to do is stay by my side. Because...when you're with me...is when I always feel happiest."_

_Loke seemed shocked into silence that his master would say something so sweet and honest about him. Usually she had to do a forced closure just to get away from him for a short while. "I see..." Loke murmured while turning back around to look at the stars, slightly chuckling at how just a few simple words could make him feel so happy. "Then staying by your side forever would make me happiest as well..."_

Lucy felt so horrible whenever she looked up at the stars now. Especially when she saw Regulus and the constellation of Leo...it had grown so dim after Loke had disappeared. To her it seemed that all the stars had, but Regulus seemed to be the worse, as if it was ready to vanish at any moment.

Now all looking at the stars did was remind her that Loke was gone. Loke...her lion spirit had done everything for her. No matter what she asked of him, he always did it. Even the petty little everyday things. She had always been so selfish...if only she could turn back time and apologize to Loke for making him do everything. He had never even complained...just followed her with an easy grin and happy eyes...

"Loke...you always granted my wishes..." Lucy murmured as she stared at the little piece of paper in her hands, "Now you're gone through... So I'll have the sky take my wish and grant it..." A gentle but strong breeze came from behind Lucy as she said this, catching the piece of paper that she had just released. Lucy watched as it turned and tumbled on the wind, all the while floating up towards the sky and stars.

Lucy felt so much regret as she watched the piece of paper fly away. She had always been so selfish and had never realized just how much Loke meant to her...not until...

"_Ne...Princess...promise you won't blame yourself..." Loke muttered softly, his green eyes starting to close as his body kept fading more and more from the Earth. Lucy's tears kept coming as Leo the Lion's key remained clutched in her hands, at least, the pieces that she had managed to find. She wasn't even sure how it had all happened. Everything...it...it was all to fast for her to comprehend. Surely this was just a bad nightmare that she would wake up from...right?_

"_L-Loke...you c-can't leave me! You can't!" Lucy's tears had long since clouded her eyes from seeing anything, but that didn't stop her from clutching her lion as close to her as she could. Loke just let out a small chuckle as his grip slowly weakened on his broken glasses. Who would have thought that it would take his death to get Lucy to realize just how much he cared for her? Not that he minded. He died protecting his Princess, his love...he was satisfied with that. Was he ready to leave her behind?_

_Hell no._

_He was satisfied though. He had saved her from those who had threatened to hurt her, so he was fine. "Sorry Princess...you know I wouldn't leave you unless I was absolutely forced too," Loke grinned, remembering all the times that Lucy was forced to use her forced gate closure to get him to go back to the spirit realm so he could rest. Loke would have given anything to take her tears away now, to make her smile instead of crying over him._

"_L-Loke..." Lucy sobbed while burying her face into her clueless little lion's chest. Why would he do something so stupid! He...he couldn't leave her... Lucy would have given all she had to have just gone back to that morning. To make it to where none of this had ever happened to them. To make it to where she and Loke were just resting in the Guild Hall, talking with their nakama. _

"_L-Loke...please...d-don't leave me..."_

Lucy's small smile remained as she watched the piece of paper drift further and further away from her, flying on the breeze and traveling up to the stars. As the paper went further away, her smile started to fade. Finally a tear slipped down her cheek, and once that one tear was out...she could never have hoped to hold back the others.

Feeling her legs give out on her, Lucy collapsed to the ground, her arms just barely holding her up as the tears never stopped. She was choking to regain air as she started crying out to the sky. "Gomen-nasai..."

"_Ne, Princess, wanna go stargazing with me? I know the perfect place!"_

"Gomen-nasai..."

"_Alright Lucy, sit down and be amazed, you have never tasted something like this!" _

"_Gomen-nasai!_" Lucy's head turned to look up at the stars as the tears kept flowing down her cheeks, never stopping. "Kami-sama! Please...I beg of you..." Lucy's head dropped back towards the ground as she continued crying, "If I could be born once again..."

"It'd be nice...if we could meet again..." Lucy's head snapped up at the voice. It was deep and warm, filled with love and care. As Lucy's shocked eyes looked around, she saw that no one but herself was up on this hill. That voice though...it had been his... She would have known that voice anywhere...

Lucy's tears faded away as she looked back up at the stars, a small smile staring to take over. "That's right. Isn't it?"

x

"_Lily! Let's go! The guys aren't gonna wait forever!" A salmon-haired boy yelled out while running towards the guild's entrance. Lily laughed before getting up from her seat to follow. Sure the missions she always went on were hard, but she wouldn't make it any other way. After all, her fire mage friend had introduced her to this guild._

_Fairy Tail._

_It was supposed to be one of the oldest guilds around. When Lily had first heard of it, she had been so amazed! No guild had every been around as long as that one! Most guilds either turned into dark ones or faded away with time, but this one was always growing. More and more nakama being added. Lily had started to understand when the Master had told her the words that had been, and still was, Fairy Tail's ideals._

"_Fairy Tail. Does a fairy have a tail? An eternal mystery. A never-ending adventure." Lily had grinned at those words, feeling for the first time as if she had a home to call her own._

"_Hurry Lily!"_

"_I'm coming!" Lily called back while grinning and running over, of course, being her usual clumsy self, she tripped over a spare puddle of water. "Whoa!" Just as she braced for herself for hitting the floor, she felt strong arms catch her. Cracking a timid eye open, she saw that it had been one of the newer members, like her, that had caught her._

"_You alright there, Princess?" As soon as the words were said, Lily felt a tear slip down her cheek. The guy holding her looked happy to see her, his green eyes, even being hidden behind blue frames, were filled with love. Lily couldn't explain it though, no matter how hard she tried. As soon as she had seen that man's bright orange hair and brilliant green eyes, and heard those words, she had started to cry. "Princess?"_

"_Lo...ke..."_

That night, as the two guild members sat and laughed on top of the guild's roof, looking out at the stars... they all seemed to grow brighter. Especially Regulus, who hadn't looked as bright as it did now in decades...

* * *

><p>So, uh...please don't kill me? It's a happy ending after all...right?<p> 


	3. Catnip

Not very long, but there is supposed to be more parts to it. The idea was insipred by FallenKitsunee who is making her own version. So make sure to read it when she publishes it, she's a very good writer, so I'm sure it will be a good story. Now, don't be afraid to give me ideas on what to do during the month Loke is stuck with Lucy. And give me stories about your cat high on catnip.

Trust me, this will be as crack-filled as possible. BUt I'm stuck for right now, so there may not be a part two for a while. That's pretty much all I got to say... No ending notes at the bottom cause I'm tired and too busy working on another one-shot. So...be gone! Just kidding. Read though, uh...yeah...that's it...

Are you still reading this? When you could be reading something funny? /gasp! Hahaha!

I need sleep...

And food...

"Of all the things I miss most, my mind is one of them."

BWAHAHAHAAHA

HA HA HA! HA HA HA HA HA! - Madark Laugh FTW

(Oh dear God help me...)

* * *

><p>"Alright, who here was the complete and absolute <em>moron <em>who thought it was a good idea to put _catnip _in my apartment!" The doors to the Guild Hall crashed open with a bang that echoed through the whole building, the scary silhouette in between them moving forward to show the guild's one and only Stellar Mage. And she was _mad_.

"Oh. That was me," a pink-haired mage raised one hand while using the other to down a goblet full of flames. The teen's answer made him sound as if he was commenting on the weather or something as equally mundane, boring, and pointless. "Why? Did Happy finally find it?"

"Natsu...I'm right here..." a blue cat muttered from atop the mage's shoulder. Natsu froze before looking nervous, he was about to complain or make up some crazy excuse that no one in their right mind would believe, until he felt his nakama's rage that is...and it was as scary as Erza's...

"Natsu...why would you put _catnip_ in my apartment?" Lucy asked calmly while smiling and walking forward a few steps. She was looking as if she wasn't about to rip Natsu's head off, which everyone knew was something she dearly wanted to do. The fire mage just stared and shivered before inching behind the nearest mage, which turned out to be Gray. The rest of the Guild had fallen deathly quiet as they watched the blond saunter up the table.

"Gray was the one who gave it to me! He said it would be fun to use on Happy as a prank!" Natsu complained while scooting closer to Gray, hoping to at least be somewhat spared from a wrath that was as bad as Erza's. Gray just sputtered in shock before looking between him and Lucy and paling. The few guild members that had been sitting beside the two quickly got up and sneaked away to another table. They knew when not to interfere.

"Don't drag me into this you idiot!" Gray hissed, trying to scoot away from the fire mage, who kept scooting closer. Lucy just grinned again before turning her eyes on the both of them, causing them to shiver and freeze in their escape attempts. She was smiling but...she looked as if she was ready to murder half the guild with nothing but her whip and bare hands. Starting with them.

"Oh? So you thought that hiding catnip in my apartment would be a good prank, since Happy was likely to come across it sooner or later, right?" The boys just nodded in confirmation, too scared to even think of lying to the blonde mage in front of them.

Happy, having value for his life, had already flown off towards Mirajane, the only person he felt he might be safe in hiding behind. "I see...did it ever occur to you that your plan might backfire?" At this point the boys were quivering in fear, looking as if they would rather be anywhere else but there. Most of the guild was sympathizing with them, but they weren't about to help them out. They knew just how ferocious Lucy could be when she wanted to.

After a quick shake of their heads, Lucy grinned before striding the last few steps forward, looking as evil as Gemini had when stealing her form. "I see...unfortunately for me, and you later on, it did indeed backfire..." Lucy's eye twitched as the guild heard the doors open again once again. Less than two seconds later and a very familiar spirit of Lucy's was hanging onto her. Tightly. "Loke..."

The spirit of Leo the Lion was indeed squeezing onto Lucy, snuggling into the side of her neck and purring like a cat would. He was wearing his infamous green jacket and what he liked to call his civilian clothes. His hair, while usually shorter and laid down unless fighting, looked as if it was sticking up in all directions. His eyes would have been open, had they not been closed in pure bliss at being near his master.

"Natsu...Gray..." Lucy muttered while looking up at the two quivering in front of her, a very frightening glint showing in her eyes, "I am going to kill you two."

"Is that...Loke?" Gray asked tentatively, trying to hold back a smile. He knew it would be suicide to laugh with Lucy this angry, but it was quite funny. The guy looked like a frantic cat high on catnip. He also looked to be like one of the cats that got closer to their master when high. In a few short seconds almost every single one of the guild members was laughing at Loke, much to Lucy's anger. Loke didn't even notice, too concerned was he with his master

"Oh...do you all find something funny about this situation?" Lucy asked while looking up and glaring at the guild. All of them would swear later that they had seen the face of an oni behind her as she looked out at them. A few mumbled something back while others quickly shut up. The laughing had died down almost immediately.

"Of course, the guy looks like he's high on something. Why wouldn't it be funny! Especially since the guy couldn't keep his hands off of you before..." Lucy's glare quickly shifted to the Iron Dragon Slayer of the guild, who was sitting at the table behind Gray and Natsu and chugging down something that was amber colored.

"I see..." Lucy smiled before glancing at Loke, "Loke?" Loke's eyes snapped open, looking at Lucy. His green eyes were brighter than usual. His pupils had also narrowed, making him look remarkably more like a cat. If he had a tail, it would have been wagging in excitement. "Sit boy." Within seconds Loke was sitting on the closest bench to Lucy, looking as obedient as possible, causing one or two of the braver ones to snicker. "Oh Gajeel..."

For as long as they lived, the guild would never forget what they saw next. What felt like less than a second, Lucy had her whip out and wrapped along Gajeel's neck, tugging on it and pulling him backwards off his chair and into the floor. The dragon slayer, too startled by what had happened, couldn't even fight back as Lucy planted one boot on his chest and looked into his eyes with what he would later describe as the fires of hell.

"Now. Do you find something funny about what happened to Loke?" Lucy asked in a deathly quiet voice, one that carried all over the guild. A quick shake of his head was all the dragon slayer was able to manage before Lucy tightened her whip a little more. "And you're not gonna laugh any more, are you?" Another frantic shake of the head. "Good boy," Lucy purred before loosening her whip and flicking it, catching it and clipping it back onto her belt. "Now, does anyone else have anything to say?"

Complete silence was all that met her question. "Ah ah boys. You still have some explaining to do," Lucy muttered while staring at Natsu and Gray, who had been using Gajeel's beating as a chance to sneak away. Sadly, it didn't work. "Now, you thought you would play a harmless prank on Happy, which I'm fine with." At this Happy, who was still shaking behind Mirajane, frowned. "Yet you forgot that Loke could be affected by your prank."

Natsu and Gray just quivered in fear as Lucy came closer. She was quickly blocked by Erza, which made the boys think that they had been saved. "Lucy...I know that what they did was wrong, but surely you don't have to be so harsh on them?" the mage asked, raising an eyebrow. Lucy looked towards the ceiling, as if trying to decide something important, before looking back over at Erza. Sighing she leaned over before whispering something in the older girl's ear. "I see...do you need assistance in punishing them?"

Lucy grinned before shaking her head, "Thanks, but I think I got it covered." Natsu and Gray shivered even more. What had they done that was so bad that it made even Erza abandon them. Surely it couldn't have been that bad. "Now boys...I wanna know, just how strong was that catnip you hid in my apartment?"

"W-We don't have to t-tell you anything..." Natsu spoke bravely, although he was shaking like a leaf. Gray was torn between supporting Natsu and getting the hell out of the guild and hiding in a place that Lucy would never find. Lucy just raised an eyebrow while settling back on one foot and glaring at them.

"Oh really..." the blonde muttered, walking forward and stopping by the seat that Loke was now sitting in. The few members who had been studying Loke noticed that he had not once taken his eyes of Lucy. "Loke..." Lucy trailed of while grinning, Loke was immediately standing beside her and at attention. Most of them would have laughed, if they hadn't feared what happened to Gajeel, who was now downing his drink and wallowing in shame. "Attack."

Seconds later and Natsu and Gray were fighting back as best they could as a bright light enveloped the area. Lucy just sighed while crossing her arms. Really, she didn't like having to be so mean. This was a serious situation though! She needed to know how long Loke would be like this! A few more seconds and Gray and Natsu were laying half-conscious on the floor. They had been utterly and completely beaten, even though they had used their magic.

"Good boy Loke," Lucy grinned while Loke went back to hugging her and rubbing against her neck. "Now boys...I need to know how long that catnip lasts." Natsu groaned while looking up and avoiding everyone's gazes. Gray just stayed still face down, hoping that the playing dead trick might be able to save his life.

"I dunno...we asked Bixlow to make it for us..." A furious running sound greeted the dragon slayer's words, the cause of it coming from Bixlow and his puppets, who were running away from the guild as fast as they could. Lucy narrowed her eyes as her pray neared closer, trying to get through the door before she could catch him.

"Loke..." Lucy pointed at Bixlow and Loke was off. Those closest could see how his eyes had narrowed even further when Lucy had pointed at the fleeing mage. Less than a second later and Bixlow was staring at Lucy's boots, his dolls were quivering in fear behind her and a large lion spirit was sitting on his back, purring as Lucy patted the spirit's head. "Now see here Bixlow...I need to know how strong that stuff was..."

"Why do you need to know...you can just send him back till it wears off...right?" Bixlow looked nervous as Lucy glared down at him, looking like a demon ready to murder. His babies had fled and were now quivering behind Mira along with Happy. Honestly, he couldn't blame the little ones. Dark guilds and fierce mages were one thing...this girl however...

"Now Bixlow...he can't go back. For some reason, as long as he's under the effect of this catnap, his gate won't open." At this most of the guild gasped. A spirit wasn't supposed to stay in the human world for long periods of time. Loke had lasted three years last time, but he had almost disappeared. If not for his new master, he would have. "Now...I need to know. And rest assured, if it's your fault that Loke suffers while stuck here, I will make your life a living Hell so horrible that the devil himself will be scared. Understand?"

Bixlow nodded while shivering and looking as if he was about to die, which he wouldn't put past the girl. "It was supposed to be strong enough to put that flying cat over there in a state of bliss for about...uh...two months..." Bixlow trailed off while Lucy looked murderous. She knew that Loke could handle a lot, but the first few weeks of being stranded in the human world was some of the worse. "Don't worry though! Loke here is quite bigger than the cat, and he's a spirit, which means the affects should wear off even sooner."

"So if you had to give it a time frame?" Lucy asked while glaring down, Loke was still sitting on Bixlow, ready to attack if Lucy gave the word. And Bixlow knew just how formidable the two could be, having been beaten by them last time he fought. And that was with his babies assistance! Without them... Bixlow shuddered before muttering something about bright light, confusing the ones who heard for a few seconds. "Bixlow..."

"Alright alright! I'd give it a few weeks before the stuff wares off. A month tops. He can handle that...right?" If he couldn't, than Bixlow knew that the mage would kill him herself. He chanced a glance up at Lucy, who was looking off in the distance as if calculating something.

"Loke used his own magic to go through the gate...but if I use mine to keep the gate open while he's here...he shouldn't suffer too much..." Lucy muttered while frowning. Everyone in the guild could see how much she was worried for her spirit. Happy and Bixlow would have teased them at this point, but both of them were too scared to even go near the girl. "Alright," Lucy sighed in defeat, "Let him up Loke, we don't have to hurt him..." Loke purred before jumping up and latching onto Lucy again, who just sighed and smiled wearily.

A few pats of Loke's head and he was purring again, which a lot found funny but were too scared to laugh. "Not yet at least..." Lucy muttered while glancing at Bixlow, who grabbed his babies and ran through the door all in under two seconds once he felt the glare. "Well...that went better than I expected!" The blonde smiled widely before glancing at Natsu and Gray, who were still passed out on the floor. "They'll be alright...right?"

"I'm sure they'll be fine," Erza said comfortingly. Normally she would clap Lucy on the shoulder in a sign of friendship, but she had noticed Loke's eyes narrow anytime someone got too close to her. Erza was strong, but not even she wanted to face a Loke high on catnip.

"Right...okay than, come on Loke. Let's go..." Lucy sighed while Loke released her automatically and trotted at just a few paces behind as she walked towards the guild's door. So all she had to do was put up with a crazed Loke for a few weeks. One who she wasn't able to send back to the spirit world and watched her every move.

Oh this would be fun...


	4. Contract

At first this was rather serious. Than it turned sweet. Than fluffy. And now it's turned crack near the end...I don't know whether to laugh at that or not... Let me know if you find the crack ending humorous or if I should just stick to fluff. Also, if you want me to write about the hellish mission, let me know. I'm considering it but I don't know if any of you all would want to read it.

Ah, FallenKitsunee posted her own catnip story, go read it. Like, now. Right now.

So, I think that's pretty much it... See ya at the bottom!

* * *

><p>It had been something that she had never even realized until she glanced at her keys that night. Lucy Heartfilia was one of the few Stellar Spirit mages, which was to say, a mage who made contracts with the stellar spirits to fight alongside her in battle. She always kept her promises and contracts and never went back on them, no matter what the cost might have been to her. After all, to a Stellar mage, their bond was their word. So to think that she had forgotten to make a contract with one of her spirits...it was practically unbelievable!<p>

She wondered if Loke had ever realized that there was no contract between them...

"I wonder if I should call him out now..." Lucy muttered while sighing softly to herself and turning to gaze out her window, watching the night sky, it was rather late. Almost midnight if she was judging the position of the moon correctly. She really didn't want to wake Loke up if it turned out he was sleeping, which wasn't too unlikely, both of them had just got done doing a rather tough mission.

Lucy and her _team_ had left on a simple mission to destroy a few monsters that were terrorizing a small village, the monsters had turned out to be pict monsters that wouldn't go away without another Pict mage to help erase them. For that they had to call on one of the new guild members, and her teammate, by sending Happy at max speed. The two had arrived and helped them just in time.

Of course, after that, the dark guild that had conjured the pict monsters showed up and decided to fight them. It wasn't all that hard compared to all that they had faced in the past, in fact, it was quite easy. Too easy. Which was proven when a few of the mages banded together and cast spells that brain-washed a few of their team and put them under mind control...

Yeah, it had been an exhausting day. Lucy could have sworn that she used almost every one of her keys, including all of her Zodiac keys. She had to use Loke the most though, since he had been the best fighter and the only spirit she had that was able to fight against Natsu and Erza for a decent fight. And even then the non-brain washed ones had almost lost.

The end result of the day was that both of them had gotten rather beat up, but it was nothing rest couldn't cure. Still though...the thought of having Loke's key but no contract nagged at her. "Well...I suppose Loke wouldn't mind too much..." Lucy muttered softly while slowly picking her keys up from the nightstand beside her. She had been completely depleted of magic when she got home, but she was sure she now had enough back to call on Loke.

It surprisingly didn't take that much magic to call on the strongest of the Zodiacs. Lucy had always wondered if that was where she was getting more powerful, or if it was from her special connection with Regulus. Of course, when she has asked Loke, he had said something about it being the power of the love. Needless to say that she had sent him back within two seconds, which was a new record.

"Open. Gate of the Lion, Loke!" Lucy smiled as she felt the familiar tug of magic from within her, flowing into the golden key to unlock the gate to the celestial world. A large magic circle quickly spread out in front of her before fading away to reveal a tired-looking spirit. In fact, Lucy was quite surprised by Loke's appearance.

"Something wrong, Lucy?" Loke mumbled tiredly while rubbing one of his eyes, trying to keep them both open. Instead of his trademark fur-lined green jacket, blue-tinted glasses or handsome suits, he was wearing a loose t-shirt and lounge pants. If Lucy had to guess, then she would have said that she had just woken him up from what was probably a deep sleep. "Princess?"

Lucy shook her head as she realized she had been leaning to one side unconsciously. Feeling slightly dizzy she shook her head to look back over at Loke, who was yawning widely after trying to suppress it. Trying not to giggle Lucy shook her head again, she was probably still tired from that crazy mission they had just been on.

"Ah, nothing much, just-" Lucy's eyes suddenly widened before fluttering closed. _Shimata. I thought I had enough magical power to call on Loke...but I guess not... _

"Oi! Lucy!" Loke was suddenly wide awake as he darted forward to catch a falling Lucy. The only word that you could use to describe him right then would have been startled. "Jeez Princess...you never do things the easy way...do you?" Smiling tiredly Loke sighed before carefully lifting Lucy into his arms and walking towards her bed. Swiftly tucking the mage in, Loke scratched the back of his head before smiling softly. "So much for sleeping..."

x

"Ugh...what happened..." Lucy groaned before lifting up a hand to rub her head, which was pounding violently. It felt like she just got hit by some of Natsu's flames than had to dodge Erza's swinging swords, which was something she never wanted to experience again. "Damn Natsu..."

"You fainted is all," a deep voice softly chuckled from beside her, Lucy instantly recognizing who it was. "And I don't really thing you can blame Natsu for this one Princess."

"Urusai," Lucy muttered while attempting to sit up before hissing and sinking back into her bed. She heard a sympathetic sound from Loke as she slowly opened her eyes. Loke was standing over her, still in his pajamas, and looking as sympathetic as he sounded. "Magic deprivation sucks."

"That's why most mages tend to avoid it," Loke smirked again before sitting down on the edge of Lucy's bed, who just groaned before scooting over so he could sit down more comfortably. "Excluding Fairy Tail of course. But really, when does our guild do anything even slightly normal?"

"True," Lucy grinned back before attempting to move again, only for a hand on her head to gently hold her in place. She glanced back up at Loke, who looked both stern and amused at her attempts.

"Uh-uh. You shouldn't be moving at all after depleting all your magic like that. Think of the worst hangover you've ever had and than multiply it by ten or so."

"Sound hellish," Lucy muttered, wincing at the sound of their voices, which were soft yet sounded too loud to her. Loke chuckled softly, trying to stay mindful of the noise level for his master's sake.

"Trust me, it is. Just be glad it's not daylight, that's when you really start cursing the world," Loke muttered while finally lifting his hand from Lucy's forehead, who was too busy internally berating herself for mourning the loss of warmth to really notice what Loke was doing. "Now, eat."

"Wha-?" Lucy trailed off as she looked to see Loke holding a spoonful of soup. "Uh-uh. No way. I'm not eating that." Loke looked surprised at the tone of Lucy's voice. Sure he expected her to put up a fight and argue or something, but she sounded as if she was boarding on near hysteria.

"Okay...why?" the spirit was now definitely confused. Lucy was glaring at the soup with nothing but loathing, she was also muttering something about poison, the keys, and kicking ass. After that he couldn't really make anything else out except for a few words here and there about a grand ball or something. "Princess...you have to eat or it's just gonna get worse."

"Not eating it." Lucy crossed her arms while finally sitting up, trying not to cry from just how painful the pressure in her head was. Maybe if she acted like nothing was wrong, Loke would just poof away or whatever and leave her to her suffering in peace. "I'm perfectly fine."

"You're shivering and it has to be seventy degrees outside. You're not fine," Loke frowned while watching Lucy get even more hysterical. Figuring there was really nothing else he could do he decided to go to plan B. He just really hoped that Lucy forgot about this in the morning and didn't want to kill him. "Sorry about this Princess."

"What are you-?" Lucy was cut off as the spoonful of soup was abruptly shoved in her mouth before the spoon was removed. Loke then, reluctantly, grabbed her nose and held it until the young mage was forced to swallow. As soon as she did Loke quickly removed his hand and started debating on whether or not to actually open the gate back to the spirit world, than he saw Lucy's eyes widen. "Holy...Loke...what _is _this?"

Well...she didn't sound mad...

Loke sighed in relief before holding out another spoonful of soup, which Lucy ate willingly this time, thankfully, "It's my own personal recipe. Had to make everything from scratch." The spirit was amused when he saw just how shocked the stellar mage was at hearing that the soup was his. It did boost his pride quite a bit.

"You _made _this from _scratch_?" Lucy asked in amazement, her fears of being force-fed soup, or whatever it was that had caused her to freak out, were slowly melting away, along with her migraine, as Loke fed her more soup. There wasn't too much to begin with, but it's rich taste and creamy broth quickly made up for it.

"You'd be surprised by how good you can get with a few centuries practice," Loke chuckled while watching Lucy grin in response. "Now, you need to eat all of it so you can get your strength back, otherwise your magical hangover is just gonna feel even worse in the morning."

"It can get worse?" Lucy muttered while Loke shoved another spoonful into her mouth before nodding grimly.

"Trust me Princess, you do not wanna know just how much worse it can get." The blonde shivered before swallowing yet another spoonful, not wanting to see if he was telling the truth or not. Usually she would be ranting and raving about being able to feed herself and not needing help, least of all from a playboy of a stellar spirit. That stupid magical deprivation however made her just too tired to care.

"My lovely little lion..." Loke blinked in surprise, wondering if Lucy had just said what he thought she had said. Glancing down at his master's face to see that she was zoned out and just barely awake, he decided not to ask about the comment. Still, he had heard something similar to it back when he had seen Lucy wishing on Regulus...

A few minutes of comfortable silence later and Lucy had finished her soup, which was delicious. Thinking that Loke would be leaving through his gate since there wasn't much left to do, Lucy was instead surprised to find her stellar spirit placing both hands against her cheeks and gently leaning his forehead against her own

"Loke..what are you doing?" Lucy muttered softly. Surprisingly she wasn't blushing like she would have been if she was coherent enough to really understand everything that was going on. As it was, she was so tired that she could barely even string a few words together.

"Checking to see if you have a fever...if you do you have to take medicine that's designed to help replenish a mage's magical stores more quickly," Loke responded back, just as softly. He was aware that just because Lucy had eaten didn't mean that her magical hangover from hell was gone, which meant she was still sensitive to sound.

"Gomen, Loke...I called you here for something important and just ended up being a burden..." Lucy muttered, not noticing the shocked look on her spirit's face. Nor the soft expression he showed a few seconds later.

"Lucy...Princess, you could never be a burden to me." Lucy slowly cracked an eye open to see Loke smiling one of his rare genuine smiles. She really loved Loke. "So Princess, for the sake of curiosity, what did you call me out here for?" Lucy grinned slowly while remembering what started this whole mess.

"I realized earlier that we never actually made a contract," Lucy muttered before hearing a soft chuckle from Loke, who had moved and was now resting his head on Lucy's shoulder. Strangely that made her blush more than where their foreheads had been touching. Maybe it was just the combination of that and hearing him chuckle...he did have a nice laugh...

"Silly Lucy," Hearing her name, Lucy quickly snapped out of her thoughts of Loke and his laugh, which were strange enough as it was, "I thought it would have been obvious." The blonde was very confused after hearing that, and rightly so in her mind. Loke must have caught a glance at her expression because he chuckled again before speaking into her shoulder softly, "I thought it was obvious we don't need a contract because no matter what, I will always show up to help you."

It was a great internal battle not to sigh and aw at the moment. However, Lucy, having faced a number of difficulties, managed it. She also managed to remember that one little incident when the _obvious _hadn't come true, "Except for that one time in Edolas..."

"Hey," Loke whined while Lucy caught a glimpse of a pouting face, "I apologized for that!" The mage couldn't help but laugh softly as she remembered just what lengths Loke had gone through to earn her forgiveness. It had wounded his pride severely and fed the rumor mill for months, a few Fairy Tail members were still talking about it.

Lucy thought it had been well worth it.

"Hai hai. And I forgave you," Lucy grinned while watching Loke turn his head towards her so he could pout more. Lucy, still half-asleep and not thinking clearly, slowly lowered a hand before tentatively scratching the spirit's head. The effect was instantaneous as Loke's eyes widened before narrowing to mere slits, a lazy grin in place of his usual playboy smirk. Lucy did a good job of not chuckling, until she heard him purring.

"Darn it...Lucy..." Loke managed to mutter around his purring, which Lucy found an amazement in itself. A few more seconds of scratching the lion's head and she found that his hair was surprisingly soft and silky to the touch. Not to mention addicting to run your fingers through. "Nng...Lucy..."

"Loke?" the blonde muttered as her eyebrows drew together in confusion. Glancing down at Loke, who was now leaning against her more heavily than before, she saw that he was relaxed as he breathed deeply and slowly, the occasional purring noise passing his lips. If the look on his face was any indication, than he was passed out for good. "Jeez..." Lucy sighed before letting out a small smile. She supposed she couldn't blame him, both of them had gotten rather hurt in that hellish mission which she never wanted to speak of again.

Lucy, thinking that she would very much like to go back to bed, tried wiggling around to get free of Loke, who did not like letting go of what he saw as his. It took five minutes before Lucy had managed to lay back down, Loke curled protectively around her, both arms encircling her waist.

The blonde let out another groaning sigh as she realized that she couldn't even reach her keys from this position, so sending him back was pretty much out of the question. Sighing once more she realized that she was stuck with the Zodiac Lion Spirit curled around her and purring for the night. Jeez...how the heck had she gone from wanting to make a contract to snuggling with Loke?

Well...Lucy supposed it wasn't all bad...

x

Lucy yawned before stretching as much as she could, hearing a satisfying pop from her lower back before sitting up. The pounding of her head, though not as bad as it could have been, confused her a little. As did the sight of the curtains being firmly closed. She normally had them open. Considering her head made her feel like she had a hangover though, she really didn't want to see if light sensitivity would prove her wrong or not.

Spotting a glass of water and note on her bedside table confused her the most though. Deciding that it was too early for thinking she grabbed the glass of water and downed it before grabbing the note and reading it out loud to herself, hoping it would help wake her up more than just plain reading it.

"My dear sweet Princess, please forgive me for not being there to greet the day with you, but there were some pressing matters to attend to back in the celestial world. Something about Gemini and Plue teaming up to cause trouble... Anyways, your _hellish hangover, _as you put it, should be gone just before afternoon, I also took the liberty of warning Natsu, Gray and Erza not to come over till than, since you were sick.

"I also made sure to close the curtains, since daylight is the last thing you need. Let me know if you do need anything however. Your handsome Lion and Prince, Loke. Well...that was...decent..." Lucy muttered while reading through the note one more time. At least now she knew why her head hurt and why her curtains had been closed. And the glass of water.

"I'm just glad Natsu and the others won't be over for awhile..." Lucy sighed in relief while setting the note down and snuggling back under her covers, smelling a strange scent that put her at ease for some reason. She probably would have been more interested, if she wasn't experiencing some form of magical hangover. "Wait...when did Loke come over..." Lucy muttered before straining her tattered mind, trying to remember if she had called him or if he had come on his own.

She remembered something about a contract, soup...and...purring? "What in the..." Lucy scratched her head, trying to remember before she caught another whiff of the strange scent, which she suddenly remembered where she had smelled it before. _Shimata... _Memories of last night very abruptly slammed into her aching mind, which was made all the worse by one memory in particular.

"_Lucy...Princess, you could never be a burden to me." Lucy slowly cracked an eye open to see Loke smiling one of his rare genuine smiles. She really loved Loke. "So Princess, for the sake of curiosity, what did you call me out here for?" Lucy grinned slowly while remembering what started this whole mess._

_She really loved Loke._

_Loved Loke._

_Loved._

_Love._

"AARGH! LOKE!" Lucy jumped up on her bed while screaming at the top of her lungs and tearing at her bedhead hair angrily. A few seconds later and the sound of a tripping and running figure was heard through her house, which surprised her. She was doubly surprised when a worried Loke came tripping through the door.

"Lucy! You alright? I heard-"

"AARGH!" Lucy screamed again before grabbing the closest thing at hand, which happened to be her pillow, before throwing it at the spirit, who dodged it out of battle reaction, wondering what the heck was wrong, before being hit in the head by the second one and stumbling backwards.

X

"Didn't Loke tell us not to bother Lucy till about noon?" Gray, shirtless as always, muttered while walking towards his fellow nakama's apartment. He was trailing behind Natsu and Erza, who were determined to make sure Lucy was okay, since they had been the ones who almost killed her when they had their minds taken over the other day.

"Yeah...but we're just gonna pop in and make sure she's alright, than we'll leave. I mean, if she's really bad off than we'll know not to make too much noise." Natsu grinned as Happy flew up behind him.

"Aye! And maybe we'll get Lucy some fish!" Gray just rolled his eyes as Erza sighed at the boy's antics.

"If she's bad off then we shouldn't be making any noise, baka." Just before the two could get in another fight, the four arrived at Lucy's apartment. They would have gone ahead with the fight anyways, for lack of anything better to do, when they heard the sounds of crashing and yelling.

"Do you think Lucy's in trouble?" Erza half-asked while debating whether to re-quip or just run in there and punch whoever was hurting their friend. The boys just shrugged, including Happy, causing Erza to roll her eyes in response. Honestly, men could be so useless.

"LOKE! YOU ARE SO DEAD!" A few accompanying sounds of crashing objects and a yelling stellar spirit was all it took for the four to make up their minds on what to do.

"I'm sure Lucy wouldn't mind if we came back later," Gray muttered, already heading towards the opposite direction. Natsu muttered something about asking Lisanna about a mission before he and Happy high-tailed it towards the guild. Erza was tempted to ask Lucy what Loke had done to warrant her anger, surely it couldn't have been all bad. Right?

The sound of a large object falling and another scream of pain was all it took for Erza to turn around and walk back towards the guild. She was sure the stellar mage could handle dealing with Loke on her own. After all, she wasn't part of Fairy Tail's strongest team for nothing.

"AARGH! STOP DODGING!"

Ezra just hoped that Lucy wouldn't be mad if she found out that the older girl had prayed for Loke's safety. An angry Lucy was something no one should have to face.

* * *

><p>So? Funny or not so funny? Let me know. Also, thank you EVERYONE for the awesome reviews on the Catnip snippet, it made me cackle madly from reading your reviews, cause I'm gonna put Lucy through hell with this story! XD Also, if you have a cat or have seen a cat using catnip, let me know. I want as many reactions as possible, don't worry...you'll see why... *chuckle*<p> 


	5. New Members

Okay, this is dedicated to my little Kohai, FallenKitsunee. The OC Amanda is her. So respect Amanda! RESPECT HER! In other news, Titania Eli has a Loke/Lucy story! About Catnip! She got the idea of mine and FallenKitsunee's. It's like the whole Lucy/Loke community has been taken over by the catnip idea! Woo! Three people have done it, so why don't you! Oh yeah, and read FallenKitsunee and Titania Eli's catnap stories. 'Circus Monster' and 'Cat and Mouse' respectivaly. Go. GO NOW!

Also, one of you asked for the hellish mission that Lucy had one on. Thank you! I wanted to do it so bad! Just because I'm sure to laugh while writing it! It's basically having Fairy Tail's strongest team suffer one way or another! Bwahaha! That's why I needed this chapter though. To introduce the two new mages. Ah, Michee is me by the way.

That is all. Now. Read this, Circus Monster, Cat and Mouse, and write your own Catnip story for LucyXLoke. NOW!

* * *

><p>"Ano...sumimansen...do you know where the mage guild Fairy Tail is?"<p>

As soon as the question was heard, four mages turned back to look to see who had been talking, and a celestial spirit and flying cat of course. A few brief glances with each other and they knew they just had to check it out. It could be mages undercover to attack or spy on the guild. Of course, not many thought that, since the one who had asked the question looked to hardly be older than sixteen.

"Why are you looking for Fairy Tail?" Natsu, always the one to charge forward with no plan or tact, was immediately in front of the girl and asking questions. Lucy, figuring she better go and stop Natsu before he said something stupid, walked the few hundred yards down the street. Of course that meant the others followed as well.

"Uh...well..." the girl who had first asked the question trailed off. She looked to be about five feet and was as small as Levy. The only difference was the hair and eyes, which were orange and green respectively. "We were...were...um... Senpai! Help!" Natsu raised an eyebrow in confusion before glancing around, along with the others, to see that no one was else was on the street.

"Are you here with someone?" Erza asked while looking towards the girl, who looked even more apprehensive as the others approached. The only answer they could get out of her was a nod. Lucy exchanged looks with Loke, who looked just as confused as the others.

"Don't worry, we'll help you find your friend," Natsu grinned while patting the girl's head. Less than two seconds later and the fire mage was on the ground with a ticked off looking girl standing in front of him. "Oi! What the hell was that for?" Natsu yelled while sitting up and rubbing the new bump on his head, the others looking surprised and automatically tensing for battle.

"Who are you and what are you doing to my Kohai," the girl hissed while clutching the staff she had used to hit Natsu with. Lucy just raised her hands up peacefully before speaking again.

"Natsu wasn't doing anything to her. She was lost and he was reassuring her by saying we would help her find whoever she was with, which I'm guessing was you."

"Aye," Happy grinned while using his magic to fly over and hover in front of the girl, who didn't look too shocked at seeing a flying and talking cat. She was a few inches taller than the first girl and had reddish-orange hair instead of just plain orange. She also looked to be more along Erza's build.

"Ah...um...sorry about the attack than..." the girl mumbled while scratching the back of her head and glancing at the girl behind her, who was trying not to laugh as Happy landed on top of Natsu's head. "My name is Michee. And this is Amanda Snow." Amanda peeked her head out from behind Michee and waved while grinning hugely.

"Ne, Senpai, that one asked why we were looking for Fairy Tail," Amanda grinned again before pointing towards Natsu, who was slowly standing off the ground and bending backwards, causing Happy to slip off before pouting and flying over to Lucy instead. The fire mage righted his position once the others heard a large cracking noise. "Think they might know where it is?"

"Probably," Michee rolled her eyes while pushing a button on her staff which caused it to retract to about the size of a ruler. She than quickly slipped it into her bag before looking back up, "Since most of them are wearing Fairy Tail's insignia."

"Ah...I missed that..." Amanda muttered while pouting and looking the other way, Michee smiling before shaking her head back and forth and looking at the others. Almost all of them looked confused as they watched the two girls.

"So, do you know where Fairy Tail is? Just for the sake of asking and all that."

"Yes. Is there a reason you need to go there?" Erza, ever the leader, took charge. She wanted to know who these two girls were and why they were looking for Fairy Tail. The taller one had to be a pretty good fighter if she had managed to get a shot in on Natsu, who was pouting as much as Amanda.

"Yes actually. We need to speak to Master Makarov." At this the others looked surprised. Not many needed, or even wanted, to talk to the master of Fairy Tail. Amanda was now hanging off of Michee's arm, who looked like she was used to it. Seeing the guarded expressions on their face, Michee sighed before speaking again. "Look, we don't want or need any trouble. We just need to deliver a message to him."

At this Michee fumbled around for a piece of paper from her bag, showing that she did indeed have a note to deliver. Erza still looked slightly suspicious while Loke was staring at them seriously.

"They don't mean any harm Erza," Loke finally said while sighing and smiling towards the two girls. "I don't sense any kind of harmful intent coming from them."

"Well than, that settles it, let's take 'em to Fairy Tail!" Natsu grinned while striding towards the guild building, Lucy and Gray sighing before following, they knew when arguing with Natsu was a lost cause.

"Fine...as long as they have no intent to harm Fairy Tail or it's members, then I see no problem with it," Erza finally smiled before grabbing her small cart of luggage and towing it after the others, who were starting to get ahead. Loke just grinned while looking back towards the two girls.

"Well, you coming?"

"You bet!" Amanda grinned while darting forward to trail behind Lucy. Michee followed more slowly, bringing up the back of the group.

"Oh, you seem a little down," Gray muttered, falling back once he noticed the expression on the red-haired girl's face. Said girl just winced while looking back up at the group. Natsu and Erza were arguing about something, Lucy was ignoring Loke and Amanda was giggling at the two's interactions.

"It's just..." Michee trailed off while looking uncomfortable before a small meow brought both their attention to the bag at the girl's side. A large Siamese cat quickly crawled out of the bag before jumping up and settling on the girl's shoulders. Michee smiled slightly before petting the animal's head. "It was a long road getting here."

"I see... And yet you came all that way just to deliver a letter?" Gray raised an eyebrow while Michee sighed and looked up at the ice mage, who was suddenly missing a shirt and jacket. Shaking the weirdness off, she thought back to the question. The cat just purred while curling around the girl's neck even tighter.

"...Amanda and I did it as a favor..." Michee finally muttered, looking over at Amanda, who was now outright laughing at something Natsu had said. "We knew someone who had helped us esca- ...Someone who had helped us," Michee said firmly. Gray just made a small noise of acknowledgment, deciding not to comment on the word that had almost sounded like escape. "He helped us and told us to deliver this note to master Makarov of Fairy Tail."

"Senpai! There it is!" Michee was suddenly thrown off-balance as Amanda latched on to her arm again, pointing frantically at the large building in front of them. The team reached the doors and turned back to see that both girls were looking up in awe at the place. "Isn't it even better than how he described it!"

"Yeah...it is..." Michee murmured while Lucy grinned. She remembered her first time seeing Fairy Tail too. It was an overwhelming sight to be sure.

"WE'RE BACK!" The girls jumped as Natsu's loud shouts echoed all around the guild, including the outside. Lucy just shook her head as Erza, Gray, and Happy followed the fire mage inside.

"So, what do you girl's think?" Lucy asked softly while Loke stood near the door, waiting for the other three. "Everything you thought it would be?" Both girl's shook their heads at Lucy's question. The celestial mage just grinned before asking another one, "Even better?" This time the question got an affirmative nod. "Thought so. Now, let's go!"

"Ah, hey," Michee muttered while Lucy put a hand on both of the girl's backs and pushed them forward. Michee tried to struggled while Amanda just went along with it and grinning widely. "Whoa..." The girls were once again shocked as they saw the inside of the guild hall, which looked amazing. Lucy just grinned, as did Loke who trailed in after the three. The spirit then muttered something to Lucy, who nodded as he walked over towards the bar.

"Is that really Mirajane?" Amanda asked in a small voice before her eyes widened again, "Kya! It's Elfman!"

"Oi! Amanda!" Michee hissed as the girl darted towards the take-over mage, who looked confused as the smaller girl started bouncing up and down and asking questions at an amazing rate. Michee groaned while Lucy just giggled at the girl's enthusiasm.

"The Master's over there," Lucy patted Michee on the back before walking over towards Natsu and Gray, who looked as if they were about to start fighting again. Michee just looked stunned before the sound of the Siamese around her neck purring snapped her out of her quiet state.

"Right. Master. Note. Great..." the girl muttered while walking forward, trying to dodge the flying table, cups, and plates. She glanced over at the source of the commotion to see that Natsu and Gray were indeed fighting. Gray had also lost his pants since she had last seen him. "What the... Okay, no, just, whatever."

A few more seconds of dodging fighting mages, and grabbing the back of Amanda's sweater to tug her along, the two girls were standing near the end of the bar and in front of the master of Fairy Tail. "You're Master Makarov, correct?" Michee questioned while standing very still, Amanda struggling to get free and go ask Elfman something.

"Yep! What can I do for you girls?" Makarov raised an eye while looking interested. His mug and staff was beside him while his full attention was on the girls. Amanda had finally stopped struggling and was now standing beside Michee and pouting.

"We have a letter for you," Michee mumbled softly before pulling the note out and handing it towards the master, who looked interested before taking it and reading it. The girls stood patiently in front of the old man, who seemed to be taking forever to read the small note. Amanda was just about to sneak off when the master spoke up again.

"Do you know what this letter says?" Both girls shook their heads at the question.

"What what letter says?" Natsu asked while butting his head into the conversation, causing Michee to squeak form the sudden close proximity and take out her staff again. This time Natsu managed to dodge it before being wacked again. "Oi!"

"Gomen!" Michee squeaked again before shoving the staff behind her back, trying to hide it and not look guilty. Amanda just covered her mouth so her laughter wouldn't be heard.

"Oi! Natsu!" The girls were shocked yet again as Gray tackled the fire mage and started yelling something about giving him his shorts back, which Michee noticed were in Natsu's hand. The girl quickly averted her eyes from the fight and looked down at the floor, trying to look as if she wasn't about to bolt at any second.

"Didn't I tell you two to stop fighting!" Erza yelled while re-quipping a sword and chasing after the two boys. Lucy, a few seats away from them, just sighed before taking another drink of what looked like coffee. Happy was trailing after Erza and begging her not to kill Natsu until the fire mage gave the cat his fish.

"So what did the note say?" Amanda asked, finally managing to draw her attention away from the fighting that was still going on. Michee however was still watching, it looked like another mage had joined the fight between Natsu and Gray. He looked scary and someone that Michee did not want to anger. She also heard someone yelling something about an iron dragon slayer, whatever that meant.

"Basically, the note was a greeting from an old friend," Makarov muttered, looking a little sad, as did the girls. All three knew what had happened to the man who had written the note. "Also, there was something about having you two join Fairy Tail." At this both girls stood shock still as they stared up at the master, who was grinning with one eye closed. "So what do ya say girls, wanna join Fairy Tail?"

"YES! OI! LUCY! WE GET TO JOIN!" Amanda shouted up and down with joy before streaking over to Lucy, who looked both shocked and happy as the younger girl latched onto the mage and hugged her. Michee was still looking at the master in shock. "SENPAI! WAKE UP!" Amanda yelled while shaking Michee, causing the cat around her shoulders to jump off and slink towards a bemused looking Loke.

"Uh...yeah...join...but he said..." Michee muttered while dropping her staff, which folded back into a small orange limb as it hit the ground. She was startled out of her shocked state when she felt it handed back to her. She looked over at the man who had been kind enough to pick it up, only to see that it was one of the strongest rune mages in the country, Freed. "Heh...thanks..."

"OI! BRATS! LISTEN UP!" Makarov yelled while standing up on the bar, which really didn't give him that much more height. As soon as the guild quieted down he grinned while gesturing towards the two girls, "We have some new guild members!" A few more seconds of silence before cheers went up, Natsu being one of the loudest. In what felt like less than a second almost half the guild was going up the bar and asking who the two girls were. The reactions of the girls were quite different.

Amanda was looking nervous but smiling as Erza shook her hand to congratulate her. Michee on the other hand was freaking out with so many people around her. Less than two seconds later and she had her staff out again and was cowering against the wall, which was behind the bar counter she had jumped over.

"It's okay. We didn't mean to startle you." Michee loosened her grip around the staff while looking towards the source of the voice, which turned out to be a girl who looked younger than them. "I'm Wendy. What's your names?"

"I'm Amanda! And that's my Senpai!" Amanda grinned while pulling herself up onto the bar to sit by Makarov, who looked amused at the girl's different reactions. "She doesn't like being crowded, something that happened in her past. I think it was from where-"

"Oi," Michee muttered while holding a hand over her kohai's mouth and sighing, "I'm Michee." The guild was quickly settling back into it's normal routine as they saw that the two didn't like attention very much.

"Hey, what kind of magic do you guys use?" Natsu asked while tilting his head and looking at the two. A few others also looked interested, including Erza, not that she was admitting it. Instead her arms were crossed and she was looking the other way. Lucy and Loke were watching as well, although they stayed in their seats and were still talking to Mirajane.

"I use shape-shifting magic! It's kinda like take-over, only not really!" Amanda grinned, Elfman looking up at hearing about take-over magic. The others just looked plain confused.

"Than how is it like take-over magic if it's really not..." Natsu muttered while looking even more confused than everyone else, a few people rolling their eyes at Natsu actually taking the words seriously. "I'll show you!" Amanda grinned again before hopping off the bar and taking a deep breath.

"Oi, do you really think you should-" Michee was cut off by the glow of a magic circle, which quickly surrounded Amanda in a fierce glow of light before showing a large, very large, wolf with reddish fur. The cat that had arrived with the two girl's from earlier padded over before meowing and jumping on top of the wolf's back, making his way to the head before laying down. "Too late..."

"Sugoi!" Natsu grinned while looking at Amanda, who was now a larger-than-average wolf. A few others also looked impressed. Michee just rolled her eyes before hopping onto the bar counter and swinging her feet around to the other side, she just hoped that Amanda didn't say thing about her magic.

"Yeah, but you should see Senpai's! It's even cooler!" Too late. Amanda was grinning, which looked weird and spooky when coming from a wolf. Instantly half the guild was looking at Michee, who blushed as she looked down towards the ground again.

"My magic isn't that good..." Michee muttered before digging around in her bag and pulling out a sketchbook and a pen. Natsu, never once knowing the words _personal_ _space_, was instantly in front of her, a few inches from her face.

"Ah come on. It can't be as bad as Lucy's!"

"Oi! My magic is not bad! Summoning celestial spirit's takes a lot of energy and magic!" Lucy yelled out from her seat while pouting, Loke sitting beside her and trying not to laugh at his master's cute expression. "And you should know not to surprise that girl by now!"

"Huh, what are you-" Natsu was instantly cut off before falling to the floor. Another bump on his head as Michee looked scared while clutching her staff. Realizing what she had done, again, she blushed before shrinking the staff and stuffing it in her bag. Amanda was laughing, which sounded more feral in her wolf form.

"Sorry. Should have told you. Senpai doesn't like to be surprised like that. If that happens then she automatically hits the person closest to her. Which hurts." Natsu grumbled while rubbing his head, which now looked swelled from all the bumps he had gotten today, both from Michee and Gray.

"Ah, sorry," Michee mumbled before sketching something quickly in her book. A few seconds later and she held her hand over the drawing, a small magic circle appearing above it. The others watched in amazement as a small icepack appeared after a poof of smoke. Michee than grabbed it and hopped off the bar counter, setting it on top Natsu's head. "Better?" The fire mage just sighed and nodded in relief.

"Senpai does awesome pict magic!" Amanda grinned while the others looked impressed. Pict magic wasn't always easy, you needed a lot of concentration and skill to make sure you creations turned out the way they were supposed to.

"Hey, that sounds like Reedus," Macro muttered while Wakaba nodded in response. Reedus, who was sitting at a table near them, looked up before speaking.

"Oui, only she uses her sketchbook to bring the drawings to life, I use my body," Reedus muttered while turning to a new page in his own sketchbook before starting to draw something. Michee looked interested before another fight started between Natsu and Gray, somehow.

"What was that, ya puny flame?"

"Bring it on ice bastard!" The two immediately rushed towards the other, fire and ice flying and hitting anything in it's path.

"Eek! Dodge it JayJay!" Amanda squealed while she and her cat started running in different directions, trying to avoid the flying debris that were sure to hurt if they hit. "Senpai! It's crazy here! Yet so awesome!" Amanda laughed again before running past Michee and ducking under a flying table.

"So, what do you think of Fairy Tail as your new guild?" Lucy asked while standing beside Michee and grinning. Loke and Erza were now trying to break up the fight, only to get drawn into it themselves.

"What did you say about Lucy?" Loke yelled while tackling both Natsu and Gray, Erza summoning about three or four swords to try and subdue them all. Wendy was watching with a small smile on her face, although she was also hiding under a table. One of the few who hadn't been thrown, broken, set on fire, or frozen. Yet.

"Sorry to say that it's pretty much always like this," Freed muttered, although he had a small smile on his face as he walked over to the two girls. Lucy just grinned before watching Elfman get punched and thrown across the room, two seconds after declaring that he was ready to fight.

"Elfman!" Amanda squealed before running over, finally back in her human form. She did an amazingly good job of dodging flying cups and plates. She was even able to dodge the table that came her way, although it did end up hitting Gajeel. Who decided to join in the fight if only so he could finally drink in peace.

"It's brilliant," Michee grinned while smiling even wider as she watched a few more people join in the fight. Most of them getting beaten with a single punch from one of Fairy Tail's strongest team. "Best guild I've ever seen..."

"Glad to hear it," Lucy grinned while walking back towards Mirajane, who was smiling as Happy and JayJay sat on the counter in front of her, watching all the fighting going on. Happy was chewing on his fish while JayJay was eating off of someone's abandoned plate.

"Oi! Amanda! Don't go biting people in wolf form!" Michee yelled while running towards Amanda, who was back in wolf form and tackling people to the floor with a big smile. "I thought I taught my Kohai to only bite if you were sure you could kill them!" A few of the mages paled at this. Just who were these two girls?

"Aw, but Senpai!"

"No buts! Now, no biting when play fighting... Unless you're sure they'll survive it with minimal damage..." Michee muttered while grinning. "Like Natsu-san. Go _play _with him."

"Ryokai Senpai!" Amanda grinned again before running off towards where the most damage was happening, which was where Natsu and the others were fighting.

"Oi, that was a little too much, don't you think?" Michee turned around to see one of the members of her new guild. He looked creepy and had a bunch of wooden dolls floating behind him, he was also watching the fighting with little interest.

"Maybe, but Natsu-san seems the type that would survive being bitten by my little Kohai," Michee grinned while dodging a flying table, which was smoking. The table hit the guild member with the weird floating dolls though, which made the girl giggle as she watched him jump up and scowl before yelling something about a rematch.

Oh yeah, this was gonna be a fun guild.

* * *

><p>What do ya think? Good? Bad? Awful? Excellent? Annoying? Especially these comments? Review if it's any of the above! Or something else! Or, don't review. I really don't care either way. But you HAVE to read those two stories from FallenKitsunee and Titania Eli. They are AWESOME!<p> 


	6. Hellish Mission

The hellish mission...part _one_. Don't ask...just don't... That's all I'm gonna say...I'll talk more next time, I'm running out of time as it is right now... God...how did this turn from fluffy and dramatic to pure crack at the end... How?

* * *

><p><strong>Hellish Mission<strong>

**x**

"Ugh!" The large groan of annoyance was heard throughout the guild hall, as was the sound of a head banging down onto one of the tables, "I can't believe that the rent is almost due! Where does all my money go..." Once the guild members had pinpointed the voice, and realized who it was, they simply smiled before going back to what they were doing. Lucy was always complaining about her rent, even if this time it was a little later then usual.

"Don't remind me..." Michee muttered while sighing and finally dropping her pen, pushing her sketchbook aside, and resting her head on top of her folded arms. She then glared at the book in front of her. She was sitting across from the dejected Lucy and looking just as miserable. "Our rent is due too...and we haven't even done any missions yet!" Amanda sighed in agreement from beside Michee before propping her head up on one arm and looking over at the rest of the guild.

"How can they all look so happy..." Amanda mumbled while looking close to banging her head against the table. Repeatedly. "Senpai...how can the others all look so happy when we're so miserable!" Michee just sighed as she felt JayJay climb up her back and settle in between the shoulders and neck. Paying rent was indeed a terrible thing, and something that plagued many of the guild members.

"I'm bored," Natsu muttered while puffing out a large breath of air, the girls watching his bangs fly up quickly before lazily floating down and landing in his eyes again. He was sitting beside Lucy and slumped across the table, one cheek squashed against the dark wood, while his arms stretched out lazily beside him. "Why aren't there any good missions lately..."

"Aye..." Happy sighed before padding across the table and short distance towards Natsu, collapsing back against his neck and quickly closing his eyes, looking as dejected as his owner. The rest of the guild could have sworn that when they looked over, they saw an aura of depression that was rising up from the table and surrounding the four humans and two cats. "We haven't done a good mission in ages..."

A sudden bang at the end of the table startled all of them. Amanda's arm jerked out of reflex at the bang, causing her head to slip and hit the table, painfully. The resulting two sounds, one of a loud noise and the other of Amanda's curses, caused Michee to abruptly sit ram-rod straight, looking deathly scared and as if she was about to be tortured to death. Of course, the straightening of Michee's back made JayJay slip off towards the floor, which startled him into jumping towards Happy, the only other cat, who did not very much like the sudden feeling of claws sinking into his stomach.

Which meant the yelp from Happy caused Natsu to quickly jerk up, looking as ready for battle as Michee looked scared, of course, his sudden movement dislodged Happy and JayJay from the side of his neck. The two went rolling towards Lucy from the sudden movement, causing the blonde to jerk backwards to narrowly avoid the flailing claws as the two cats rolled off the side of the table. Amazingly, the guild didn't even notice the sudden shock and adrenaline now running through all four humans.

"This is our next mission," Erza declared, not even noticing the trouble she had caused when she had banged a job request down onto the table. The four wearily looked towards the woman, who looked as if the choice of going on the mission was non debatable. "Of course, you two are welcome to join us. The mission should be enough to pay all three of your rents," Erza smiled while looking from Amanda, to Michee, to Lucy.

"Erza," Lucy and Amanda muttered, looking as if they were about to break down into tears, "Thank you!" Erza was only slightly startled as both girls latched onto her and started hugging her as if she was a savior and answer to their prayers. Which, in a slightly strange way, she was. Michee took a deep breath as she slumped back down in her seat, realizing that there was no immediate danger or death threat and that it had only been Erza.

"Natsu, why don't you go and get Gray?" Erza asked politely while smiling. Natsu was not fooled by the act however, he knew that Erza wasn't so much as asking him as ordering. And even Natsu had learned when to pick his battles with people. Especially with Erza. He had also learned that declining the job would mean facing the wrath of three girls who had been about to get their overdue rent payed.

And that was something that he did _not _want.

"Yeah yeah, come on Happy, let's go find that stupid exhibitionist," Natsu grumbled while pulling himself up and walking towards the bar, pulling Happy off the floor by the tip of his tail, causing him to swing from side-to-side as Natsu slumped off. Not that the cat noticed, due to the slightly unconscious state he was in. He really wasn't meant to be woken up by a scared cat, one with sharp claws. Very sharp claws.

"Exactly what mission are we doing?" Michee asked as she watched JayJay climb back onto the table, looking slightly woozy, before collapsing in front of her. Erza's only response was to hand the girl the request form, which she gladly accepted before pulling a pair of glasses out of her bag. Slipping them on she began reading the request, the contents which surprised her. If it was enough to pay all three girl's rent, then there was no way it was going to be an easy task. "Eliminate a small group of monsters terrorizing a small village on the outskirts of the town. About half a day's riding and...two-hundred-seventy-five-thousand jewels reward?"

"No way!" Lucy's eyes widened before she grabbed the paper from Michee, who's grip had gone slack once she had read the reward. "That really is enough to pay all of our rent...but what's the catch...after all, that's a pretty big reward for just eliminating a few monsters..." Lucy muttered to herself while narrowing her eyes, looking suspicious of the little paper. The request and payment just didn't add up. Usually eliminating a few monsters would fall somewhere around eighty thousand or less. This was starting to sound more and more like her first mission.

Getting that book had _not _been easy.

"It will be a simple matter," Erza smiled reassuringly while gently patting Amanda's head, who was still hugging her from relief at not having to face being kicked out of Fairy Hills. "All we need to do is locate the monsters causing trouble, and then bleed them dry until they stop moving." As she spoke a menacing aura surrounded her, of course, she was still smiling and petting Amanda.

"How can she say that while smiling so sweetly..." Michee muttered while her glasses slightly slipped down her face. She was looking amazed, and slightly disturbed, as Erza walked over towards Gray and Natsu, who had been fighting over by the bar. Again. Amanda just sat back down before glancing at JayJay, who was still collapsed in a pitiful pile on the table. The girl then gently started poking the cat in the side, trying to get him to wake up.

"Welcome to my world," Lucy sighed while rubbing her forehead, feeling another oncoming headache from dealing with her team. "Tell the others that I'll meet them at the station within the hour, I have to go pack a few things. That and I left my whip back in my room..." Lucy trailed off as she started walking to the door, muttering something under her breath every now and then about something that she needed to pack.

"Hai, Lucy-san," Michee smiled before standing up, adjusting her glasses, and helping JayJay get back on his feet, "JayJay, take this paper over to Erza-san, she'll know what to do with it." JayJay looked exhausted at the thought but just meowed tiredly before carefully grabbing the piece of paper between his teeth and jumping off the table and running toward Erza, who was busy lecturing a bruised Natsu and Gray. "Alright, time to pack."

"Aw...I hate packing," Amanda muttered as Michee grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her off the seat, keeping a firm grip on the girl as the she made her way toward the doors, Amanda trailing pitifully behind and trying not to trip over the stray cup or passed out person.

"Tough."

x

Lucy sighed in annoyance before running a hand through the few stray bangs that had escaped her headband. She had been looking for a few outfits to pack with her for the mission, but she had little to no choice. Honestly...before she had joined Fairy Tail she had owned about four or six outfits for each occasion, no matter what it was. Not to mention that almost all of her clothes could be mixed and matched, which had made dressing a lot easier.

Well, Lucy sighed again, she guessed it was just one of those many and multiple hazards of joining the country's strongest and most famous guild. Not to mention being on Fairy Tail's strongest team. The things she did to pay her rent...

"I guess I'll just have to work with what I have," Lucy finally mumbled before throwing a few more clothes in her bag while looking annoyed. She probably would have been a lot more depressed about her lack of wardrobe funding if she didn't have her rent to worry about, which she could not afford to put on her tab again. "Ah well...I'm sure I'll get my fabulous wardrobe back someday...maybe...possibly..." Lucy trailed off while walking towards her bed and starting to zip up her bag. "Then again...it's probably never going to happen..."

The sudden feeling of a nearby stellar spirit, and a powerful one at that, startled Lucy out of her mutterings and caused her to whip around, only to see one of her more troublesome spirits standing in the middle of the room. Of course, now that the grip on her bag had disappeared, it was no longer being forced closed. Which meant it popped open. Which meant clothes went flying everywhere. Which meant that Lucy tripped on a stray shirt when she turned around to look at the sudden popping noise.

The joys of having spirits with the ability to open their own gates.

"You alright there, Princess?" Loke chuckled, albeit nervously, as he looked down at his owner, who just glared back up at the spirit before making small growling noises. The lion had to admit, it was pretty scary, even if the sound _was_ coming from a small blonde girl sitting on the floor. He knew that underestimating Lucy's wrath however, was something that only the stupid and suicidal did.

"Why do you spirits always pop up right at the times when I _don't _need you?" Lucy raised an eyebrow while still scowling, adjusting her uncomfortable position a little as she picked off a few shirts and shorts from her lap and the floor. Loke had to suppress a chuckle as he watched her bundle them up before throwing them towards the now empty suitcase, glaring at the bag as if it was the source of all her problems.

"Ah come on, Princess. You know you can't resist me," Loke purred while gently grasping Lucy by her upper arms and tugging her up off the floor, only stopping once she was a few inches away from his face. He had to grin to himself as he watched her struggle not to blush or show any signs of his behavior affecting her. He had to admit, she was pretty good at controlling her embarrassment, what with her practice of dealing with Fairy Tail every day.

"Hai hai...now, if you have no reason to be here, _besides_," Lucy quickly cut off any protests that Loke had been about to make, which she counted as a victory in itself, "Besides annoying me...than you can help me pack my bag...again..." Lucy watched as Loke grinned happily, not one of his playboy smiles either, but one of the rare genuine ones that were becoming less and less rare.

"Sure thing, Princess," Loke purred once again, catching Lucy off-guard long enough to place a swift kiss on her forehead. The spirit then grinned once more before petting Lucy's head, removing a stray article of clothing as he did so. The blonde was still standing where Loke had kissed her, the only movement having been made was a raised hand to her forehead, which felt really warm in the spot where the spirit had kissed her. Either Loke had been bored enough to mess with her head a little, or... Or what?

Lucy shook away those thoughts, really not wanting to see where they led, she had enough problems to deal with without thinking about her spirit's strange interactions towards her. She instead watched as Loke swiftly gathered all the fallen clothes before folding them neatly and stacking them in her suitcase. She had to admit, he was very good at cleaning... He had even managed to zip the bag up without any trouble, which was something Lucy had thought she would never see.

"There you go Princess, you're all set for what I'm guessing is another mission," Loke smirked as he leaned back towards Lucy, who noticed that the spirit had a mischievous looking glint in his eyes. If she had control of her thoughts then she might have realized that she was blushing heavily and looking like a school-girl in front of her long-time crush. "So then, how about a kiss of gratitude for your faithful lion knight?" Loke leaned in closer as Lucy stood there, unmoving.

Later she would probably think back and wonder why she didn't push him away, or say something to get him to back off, or even force his gate close. As it were, the only thing she had been able to think about was that Loke was close enough for her to taste his breath. Lucy had felt herself unconsciously leaning closer as she tried to pinpoint the taste. It had tasted like mint, but it had also tasted like...something addictive...something _very _addictive.

Of course, Lucy would later think back and also wonder what would have happened if she had gone any closer. Would she have given in and finally kissed him, or would Loke have been the one to give in first? As it was however, Lucy managed to gather her few remaining wits and piece together just what she was doing and how wrong it was. How very _very _wrong it was. And yet...

Why did it feel so right to her?

Shaking her head Lucy manged to grab Leo's key, not even wondering how she had known it was his without looking down at it, "C-Close. Gate of the Lion," Lucy managed to stammer out as she waved the key. She could have sworn that she saw Loke smile and wink at her before leaving, only a fading chuckle and a packed suitcase as proof that he had been there at all. "Jeez...that devious little cat... If he keeps that up then he's gonna find himself running out of all his nine lives, and quickly."

She could have sworn that she heard another husky chuckle as she grabbed her bag and all but ran from her apartment...

x

"Why are these two here again?" Gray half-raised an eyebrow as he stared at Erza and the two new members that were sitting opposite him. Michee was sitting in the middle opposite Gray's row, still wearing her glasses, while glaring at her sketchbook evilly, scratching something out in it over and over again. Amanda was across from Gray and half-sticking her head out the window, wide-eyed and smiling hugely as she watched the carriage pass all the forest scenery. JayJay was was cleaning his face as he sat in between the two girls, throwing a glare at Gray, as if he had understood what he had been saying. Erza, sitting beside Michee, just raised an eyebrow while looking towards Gray.

"We decided that we were going to use today's mission reward to pay all of the girl's rent, including Michee and Amanda's, right?" Of course, when Erza said we, she meant herself. "After all, all three of their rents are close to being due... So Gray, is there a problem with these two being here?" Gray paled before furiously shaking his head and turning to look out the window. It sounded like he was muttering something about him not caring, but it was hard to make out due to the loud sounds of Natsu's groaning.

"How much longer?" the dragon slayer moaned while leaning out the opposite window and sitting across from Erza, looking as if he was about to die from the pain he was feeling. Amanda looked sympathetic as she saw how awful Natsu looked, of course, the others were all too use to Natsu's motion sickness, and Michee was hardly paying attention to anything going on around her. She did manage to hear Natsu's question however.

"We should be nearing the location of the last sighting of the monsters," Michee slowly muttered, scribbling even more furiously after a second's pause, "We should be there soon as long as we- AARGH!" The other passengers jumped and looked startled at Michee's sudden scream of frustration. They watched confusedly as she flung her sketchbook down on the floor of the carriage, looking as if it had done something horrible to her and half the guild. "Damn drawings...damn memory lapses..."

"Ne, Senpai...I thought your memory was suppressed?" Amanda looked confused while glancing back, not even noticing that everyone else looked just as confused as her. Michee glanced at her kohai before sighing, adjusting her glasses again, and bending over to pick her book back up, smoothly and quickly slipping it into her bag.

"It is..."

"Suppressed memory?" Lucy tentatively asked. Sure she was curious, but she knew just how well people liked to forget their past, or how much they liked to ignore it. Everyone else looked interested however, Gray and Erza both had their arms crossed and were trying to feign disinterest, not that it was working. Natsu however was looking as if he was about to fall out of the window.

"Psychological trauma..." Michee finally muttered while glancing out the window opposite of the one Natsu was now falling out of, Happy furiously flapping his wings and trying to pull Natsu back in. "It happened to me a few years ago. I'll be seventeen in the fall...and yet I can't remember anything from the time before I was ten..."

The carriage descended into silence, everyone looking shocked at the news. Except Natsu and Happy, who were collapsed on the floor, one from motion sickness and one from pulling the motion sick one back into the carriage. Erza looked as if she was about to say something before the carriage was abruptly flipped over onto it's side.

The group made noises of shock and fear, and in Natsu's case, groaning, as the carriage flipped one more time before settling down. All six of them, plus the two cats, were now laying on what had been the roof of the carriage. Erza was the first one to sit up, motioning for silence as she slid closer to the door and window, trying to see what was going on. Happy, the next one to get his bearings, quickly used his paws to cover Natsu's mouth, who had been about to groan again. The rest looked around wearily while slowly trying to get up, waiting for something to happen.

The next thing they heard was a furious roaring noise, one that caused them to cover their ears as the sound echoed all around the dense forest they had been traveling in. A few more seconds passed before the sounds of crying, whining and frantic horses were heard, immediately followed by a loud crunching noise and dead silence.

It didn't take a lot of imagination to guess what had happened to the horses that had been pulling their carriage.

"O-Oi...shouldn't we be moving _away_ from here or _something_!" Lucy hissed under her breath while trying to sit up and peer out the window to see just what was going on. Michee was shaking heavily, her glasses slipping down her nose again, and clinging onto Lucy while Amanda was quietly trying to open the opposite door. Natsu just let out another moan, Gray and Happy quickly moving to cover his mouth.

"I agree with Lucy-san," Michee whispered while looking towards Erza, who she saw as the leader of the team. The warrior was currently glaring at the window of the carriage and looking as if she was debating whether to escape or fight.

"We should probably retreat for now...just until we get a sense of who, or what, we're fighting," Erza muttered while the others looked towards her, "Than we'll destroy them." Lucy and Gray nodded while Amanda jiggled the door handle, the one which _had_ been locked, for a few more seconds before the others heard a satisfying click.

"I think I can distract whatever it is out there..." Michee muttered while pushing her glasses up and reaching for her sketchbook, the others looking over at her as she started flipping through pages before stopping and quickly sketching in her book. A few of them looked confused, wondering just what she was going to do and what she _could_ do in this situation.

"Hey...I thought that pict magic could only be used if you drew on your skin..." Natsu muttered while watching Michee's hand quickly fly across the page, the pen she was sketching with changing colors every few seconds. Amanda decided to answer since Michee was practically dead to the world as she drew.

"Technically that's true...Senpai uses her own form of pict magic though." At this the others looked astounded. Coming up with you own form of magic, even if it was based off of a previous magic, was something very hard to do, "You see...she makes it to where she draws in her sketchbook and than she writes down the color, density, size and time limit above the drawing. She then uses her magic to summon forth what she created. Depending on what it is, and the previous factors, it can take either a little magic or a lot of magic."

"Can she summon living things?" Gray asked while looking interested, he knew Reedus was about to summon living things with ease, but they never did last for very long. Not to mention that this form of Pict magic sounded much more complicated that Reedus's did. Amanda frowned and looked hesitant as Michee scowled before scribbling something out and continuing sketching again.

"Yes...and no..." Amanda finally murmured as Michee muttered something under her breath, it sounded vaguely rude and unrepeatable. Lucy looked confused while she and Gray helped Natsu sit up. Erza was leaned against the other door, keeping an ear out for the monster, or monsters, that had tipped them over in the first place.

"How can it be yes and no?" Happy asked softly while looking over at Michee. Said girl glanced up at the interested looking mages before smiling softly and going back to sketching.

"It can be yes or no because it depends on my will and magic," Michee muttered while grinning, writing a few quick things at the top of the sketchbook. "Living things, even if they're temporary, take a great deal of magical power to maintain. A five minute animal however...that shouldn't be too hard..." The mage giggled, although to them it sounded more like an evil cackle. "Now, this should do just nicely."

"What are you doing?" Natsu asked while leaning back against the wall of the carriage, trying to regain his breath from the taxing carriage ride. The others were all looking at Michee, who had one hand spread out in the air over her sketchbook and was murmuring under her breath lightly. A few words were all they were able to make out before she finally spoke up in a clear voice.

"Awaken, Canis Lupus. Open your eyes and allow your spirit to run free in this world once again. Grant me the wisdom of your knowledge and the use of your power," At this point Michee's eyes were glowing a soft blue behind her glasses as a green magic circle hovered between her outstretched hand and her sketchbook, "Run free."

A puff of green smoke later and the others had to quickly back up and press against the wall of the carriage to avoid being stepped on by the large wolf that was suddenly standing in their carriage. The wolf looked to be even bigger than Amanda had been in her shape-shift form, and his fur was as black as the abyss. The eyes were the thing that stood out most, a glowering red that would have worried them if they had not known that he was on their side. At least...they hoped he was on their side.

"You called?" If the others weren't shocked before, they certainly were where the wolf opened his mouth to talk. Amanda grinned while Michee panted softly, the summoning taking more out of her then she said it would have. The pict mage took a slow deep breath before sitting up and looking towards the large wolf, who looked slightly amused at something.

"Greetings, Lupus. I was wondering if you could assist us?" Michee asked politely while slightly inclining her head. The wolf made a humming noise, as if considering it, before nodding in agreement.

"I see no reason as to why I shouldn't. You have been good to me and my brethren, so speak. What is it that I may help you with today?" Michee smiled while Erza and Lucy looked impressed. This wasn't just pict magic, it was something different...something more...powerful.

"My and my companions were traveling to complete a mission assigned to us. Close to our destination our carriage was abruptly upturned, followed by the sound of a vicious roar that we believe to belong to the monsters we came here to erase."

"Would you like me to fight?" Lupus asked, looking excited at the prospect of a challenging opponent. Michee quickly shook her head, looking slightly bemused.

"I'm afraid my magical power limits your time here today my friend. Today I ask nothing more of you than to offer us a chance to regroup and formulate a plan." Lucy and Erza were following the words carefully, hoping that they would get the answer they needed. Natsu and Gray however looked as if the two were speaking another language, one they had no hope of understanding. Happy was ignoring the talk however, too busy trying to get JayJay to stand on his feet without falling over.

"So you need a distraction?" Lupus grinned, making him look even more intimidating. Michee nodded slowly, looking determined. "I see..." The wolf let out a barking laugh before turning around and glancing at Erza, making a motion with his paw for her to move away from the door. She did so, having an idea on what the wolf was about to do. "I suggest you and your..._pack_...stick close together my friend. These monsters have a dangerous scent about them..."

"Thank you, Lupus. We appreciate your help," Michee bowed her head once more before stuffing the sketchbook in her bag and grabbing JayJay, who had managed to get up with Happy's help, letting the cat climb up onto her shoulders and nestle in. "Get ready to run guys..." Michee trailed off while looking towards Lupus, who was lowering himself to the ground in a crouching position, lips pulled back to reveal sharp and glistening teeth. The others were quickly grabbing their bags and preparing to jump out the door. "Now!"

The sudden flurry of noise and movement would have overwhelmed them had they not been used to it. Erza was now leading the others deeply into the woods, Lupus having jumped out the other door before getting the monster's attention. The loud roars and barking laughter assured them that they had enough time to get away to somewhere safe. "Um...Senpai...I think that monster might have friends..." Amanda panted while squinting and trying to look through the trees that surround them, hearing some kind of noise.

"Ignore it and keep running," Michee panted, grabbing the girl's hand and pulling her along. Gray and Natsu were leading up the back of the group, ready to attack anything that jumped out of them, while Happy was flying overhead, looking for somewhere for them to hide and rest until the coast was clear.

"Ah! I see a cave!"

"Lead the way Happy!" Erza shouted while changing direction, doing her best to follow Happy's path across the sky. A few more minutes of furious running and the group were standing in front of a large cave. Erza, Natsu, and Gray looked perfectly fine, as if they hadn't just ran about two miles through the woods. Lucy, Michee, and Amanda however...they were looking as if they were about to collapse.

"Well..." Michee panted while leaning over, trying to regain her breath, "I sure hope...the monsters are idiots...cause it won't take much..." Here she stopped to let out a hacking cough, slightly choking before Amanda slapped her on the back, her glasses almost flying off from their loose position, "Much...for them to follow the trail...of cut, frozen, and burnt trees!"

"How else were we supposed to follow Happy?" Natsu snorted while crossing his arms, looking as if even the idea of getting through the forest without destroying something was stupid.

"Oh I don't know...how about not destroying things?" Lucy screamed while aiming a punch at Natsu's head, which was successful. "Baka..." Amanda tried to chuckle before coughing and sinking down towards the ground, looking as if she would rather be back at Fairy Tail worrying about her rent then in front of an unknown cave with the threat of monsters around them.

"Can we just get in the cave, before something finds us?" Gray asked while looking wearily behind them. He hadn't been the only one to hear the sounds of something following them in the forest. The sudden sound of a distant roar startled all of them out of what they were doing. The roar was far enough away to reassure them, but it also sounded _mad_.

"I agree with Gray-san, who is now not wearing a shirt...why aren't you wearing a shirt?" Michee looked confused as she adjusted her glasses and looked over at Gray, who looked down at himself in surprise. Lucy groaned again while rubbing her head, here came another headache for sure.

"Yeah yeah, let's just go in then," Natsu muttered while walking forward, surprising a few of the others. Happy just shook his head before flying over to snuggle into Lucy's arms, tired from the magical power he had spent flying. The sight of Natsu's retreating back was all they saw for a few seconds, than the blackness of the cave.

"Even he's not that stupid...right?" Amanda asked, looking unsure. Gray just muttered something under his breath while scratching the back of his head, Erza sighing and summoning a sword.

"He's that stupid," Lucy muttered as the sound of Natsu's screams and an animal's roars were heard. Michee just shook her head again before sinking down to the ground, too tried to remain standing any longer. Just what kind of guild had they joined?

"Huh...I thought this forest only had black bears..." Gray muttered, using both hands to begin his ice magic. Erza sighed before settling into a powerful stance, ready for when the bears came their way.

"No...I think they said that this forest had brown bears," Lucy hummed while looking in her bag for the request sheet that had stated what animals the forest contained and which ones to look out for. "Could be both though..."

"Um...shouldn't we be worrying about Natsu?" Amanda asked while raising an eyebrow, wondering why the other three were so calm about their nakama's screams. The others just shook their heads while the sight of a running dragon slayer greeted them as they headed towards the cave. Behind the fire mage was about four large brown bears, and two smaller ones.

Michee started to wonder if the group needed her help, until she saw Natsu slide under the space between Erza and Gray, who quickly charged once they were sure they wouldn't hit the teen. The pict mage was wondering if she had dozed off or something, since a second after she blinked three of the bears were already running away from the group dizzily. One, which was frozen, was being rolled down the hill by the other two, who looked as if patches of fur had been sliced off. The only ones left were the two small ones and the biggest one there.

"Oi!" The three girls who had stayed behind watched as Natsu charged forward, angry at having been chased by a few measly animals. The only thing Michee saw was the blinding glare of super-heated flames, ice reflecting the sun's powerful rays, and the gleam of a freshly sharpened sword.

Oh yeah, they definitely didn't need her help.

x

"Honestly...I can't believe you even beat up the babies!" Michee glared at the fire mage, who was bending over a pile of wood that they had gathered and trying to light it.

"It wasn't my fault! They attacked first!" Amanda rolled her eyes while Lucy sighed, the two petting the cats they had brought along with them. Happy, who was tired out from using his wings, was resting in Lucy's lap, while JayJay, seeing the other cat napping, was sleeping in Amanda's lap.

"You could have held back! They couldn't have been older than two years!" Michee glared again before sticking her tongue out and flipping open to a page in her sketchbook, "At least Lupus is alright..."

"How can you tell?" Erza raised an eyebrow while Michee turned the sketchbook around so everyone could see it in the fire's small flames. "He looks quite pleased with himself, doesn't he?" Michee grinned while looking at the others shocked expressions. On the page was the wolf Michee had drawn, but it looked different than the way she had first sketched him. Now he was curled up, looking as if he was asleep. Even sleeping though, he looked quite pleased.

"Now we know why that roar sounded angry," Lucy grinned while leaning back against the cave wall, which had been cold at first but was quickly warming up from Natsu's flames. "Now we just need to figure out what that roar belonged too..."

"Well...whatever it is, it's our job to destroy it," Erza muttered lowly, looking even more menacing given the fact that she was sharpening a large blade, which looked to have dried blood on it. Michee and Lucy shivered at the look, feeling slightly sorry for the monster that they were tasked to eliminate.

"Yeah, well, first we gotta find out what it is..." Gray muttered while scratching the back of his head, Amanda throwing a rock at him once he started to strip his shirt off, again. Lucy, ignoring the usual scene, looked up at the cave ceiling in thought while humming softly.

"We need a way to get close to the monsters to see what we're dealing with, but we also can't be seen. This mission is priced this high for a reason..." Erza looked pleased at Lucy's reasoning while Natsu looked bored and frustrated.

"Can't we just go back to where we saw them and beat them up? I mean, we're sure to win!" Natsu whined while the others sighed at his logic. Michee was the one who answered, the others tired of always answering the same question when on missions with the hot-headed mage.

"Natsu-san...we need to have a plan. If these monsters are stronger than normal, then we need to think carefully before proceeding. The best course of action would be to follow Lucy-san's idea and find a way to collect information on the monster without being spotted." Natsu looked at the girl seriously for a few seconds before finally speaking.

"Why do you talk weird?" The others weren't very surprised when Natsu was suddenly hit over the head with the girl's staff, who was glaring at the mage angrily. Amanda and Gray had to work to hold in chuckles though.

"Shut up! It was the way I was...it's just how I am," Michee muttered before folding her staff up and slipping it back in her bag. "Erza-san, I don't know this team as well as you do, so you should be the one to decide our best course of action." The warrior nodded at the girl's words, dismissing her sword back into the pocket-space where she stored her weapons and armor.

"Both Lucy and Michee are right. We need to know what we're up against. We should first send the people who will be able to spy on the beasts without being seen, the others will wait some distance back, ready to attack should anything go wrong." Lucy and Michee looked nervous at the words Erza had said. It sounded like a good plan, but the team that was to spy on the monsters would be the ones at the most risk.

"Um...Erza-san...who is going to be spying on the monsters?"

x

"I had to ask," Michee muttered while groaning and stumbling through the forest, following the path of destroyed trees, a few of which were still smoking. "I mean, why us? Aren't we the weakest of the team, no offense, Lucy-san."

"Non taken," Lucy sighed while stopping to pull her hair back into a scrunchie, the heat of the forest finally getting to her. "I agree with you though. The others should have taken this job, they're way stronger then us...although...spying doesn't really seem to suit those guys..."

"Well...at least this way we can earn our rent ourselves!" Amanda grinned, the other two girls looking even more depressed at the very mention of the word that they had been doing their best to not think about. Rent. The only reason that they were risking their lives to find and spy on a monster, or monsters, that they knew nothing about. Some missions just weren't worth the risk.

"Next time, we get the mission that helps the old lady with her shopping," Michee muttered, trudging ahead through the path before trying to climb over a tree without losing her glasses. The tree looked as if it had been frozen solid before rapidly being set on fire and than cut in half with at least three blades, and one large ax. "No offense Lucy-san, but it seems like you need nine lives just to survive one mission with these guys..."

"Trust me, I know the feeling," Lucy muttered, falling back to help Amanda climb over the fallen tree, which was more difficult than it seemed. "Right now, let's just concentrate on what we need to do...we need to figure out how we're gonna find the monster, and how we're gonna spy on it once it's found."

"Well...I'm sure something that sounded as big as we heard leaves footprints, right? So we just follow the largest tracks we can find from a distance, and keep hidden. It should be simple!" Amanda grinned while hopping across the puddles of mud that the rapidly melting ice had caused. Michee was a few feet ahead of them, running around in circles and trying to outrun a large bee that had landed on her arm.

"You sound like Natsu...you know that, right?" Lucy grabbed Michee's arm, flicking the bee off before turning to glance at Amanda, who just nodded in response. "Hey...do you guys hear something?" Michee and Amanda shared a look before shaking their heads with perfect timing, Lucy holding up a hand to signal them to be silent for a few seconds. The only thing that they could hear though was...nothing...

"Lucy-san...I don't hear anything..." Michee muttered, wondering just why the older girl was so worried. Lucy just frowned while fingering her keys before clipping off her whip and holding it tightly, looking as if she might need it at any second. Amanda seemed to tense the second the whip was in stellar mage's hands, finally realizing what it was that had worried the elder girl.

"Exactly... This is a forest, right? So there should be the sound of animals and movement...but...there's nothing..." The three girls paled as a large boom echoed all around them, the earth they were standing on shuddering under their feet. "I knew that mission reward was just too good to be true..."

"Lucy-san..." Michee's voice was trembling as she pointed towards one of the puddles of mud they had crossed. Every few seconds, in time with the shudders, the puddle was shaking, waves of Gray's melted ice echoing around the hole. "Ne...guys...why is that water staying in one spot...on even ground..."

"Um...Senpai...I don't think that's even ground..." Amanda muttered, backing away from the puddle, which was about the size of a small carriage and only a few inches deep. "It kinda looks like..." The shape-shifter trailed off as one last shudder echoed around them, the noise seeming to come from right behind the three girls this time. All three slowly turned around to see what had made the sound, only to wish they hadn't.

"Like a footprint?" Michee asked, her voice sounding squeaky and high-pitched. Amanda just nodded while standing perfectly still along with the others, knowing that moving was the stupidest thing they could do at the moment. "We should have chosen the old lady request..."

The monster in front of them, which looked like a monster out of a horror novel, only bigger and badder, roared loudly.

"So much for recon," Lucy muttered while pulling out one of her keys and darting to the side, taking cover among the trees as the other two girls did the same. "Open! Gate of the Golden Bull! Taurus!" A large magic circle formed in front of the Stellar mage before fading away, revealing one of the 12 Zodiac Spirits.

"MOOO! Lucy-san, you look as amazing as ever," Taurus looked over at his summoner and master, hearts for eyes as he obviously and openly stared at her chest. Lucy sighed while trying not to rip out any of her hair and ignore Michee and Amanda's giggles at the same time.

"Hai hai, just attack that thing!" Lucy pointed towards the monster, who was annoyed at both losing a wolf that would have been his meal, and being ignored. Taurus eyed the monster before snorting, obviously finding the monster to be an inferior opponent for his strength, even though the beast was around a hundred feet tall and looked as if it could squash any city or person it wanted to.

"Of course, Lucy-san! I shall always protect you and your nice body!" Taurus charged while Lucy sighed and rubbed her head, wondering if it was possible to somehow die from a series of never-ending headaches. If so, than she would be kicking the bucket sooner then expected. "MOO!" The bull quickly charged towards the beast, which narrowed one eye, as if to ask if this was the best they could do.

Taurus managed to swing his ax and get a cut on the giant monster, who roared as a few drops of blood spilled out. Amanda and Michee took the chance to run over to where Lucy was standing as the monster screamed in pain and annoyance, only for Amanda to stop in front of the beast, who was now glaring at both her and the bull.

"Oi! Kohai, what the heck are you doing?" Michee yelled while shifting her weight from one foot to the other, trying to decide whether she should go help Lucy or go drag her kohai away from the giant beast that wanted to _kill _and _eat _them.

"Earning my rent!" Amanda grinned before taking a deep breath, a magic circle appearing underneath her, "Shape-Shift! Wolf!" Michee groaned as a large red wolf sent a glare towards the monster, howling eerily before bearing her fangs, which were larger than most wolves.

"Ugh! Why are you so...ngh!" Michee pulled at her hair in frustration before ripping her sketchbook out of the bag at her side, flipping it open to a page that had something deeply imprinted onto it, as if it had been sketched there over and over. "Bow of the Archer and Arrow of the Sun! Appear!" Another magic circle appeared over the sketchbook, rising and fading away in a poof of yellow smoke, Michee grabbing the ornately decorated bow and quiver of arrows that were left behind. "So stubborn..."

"I thought we were supposed to spy on the thing, not fight it," Lucy muttered while jogging over to stand by Michee, who was tucking the sketchbook back into her bag, as Taurus took another swing at the behemoth's leg, only managing to get another shallow scrape. Michee snorted as she knocked an arrow and aimed it at the monster's chest, Amanda crouching down and shifting her weight to allow her to run faster.

"Yeah, well, welcome to _our _life," Michee muttered, repeating the very same line that Lucy had muttered to them that morning. As she spoke, her eyes following the movement of the monster and Taurus carefully. "Besides, you're the one who called Taurus-san first, Lucy-san." Lucy humphed before pulling out her spirit whip, flicking it open and catching the end with one hand.

"Can we just go?" Amanda growled while crouching even closer to the ground, her eyes narrowing as she started to look more and more wolf-like. The monster roared as it's long and gangly arm missed the swipe at Taurus's head, who snorted before running forward once again.

"Patience Kohai," Michee muttered softly, watching as Taurus finally managed to get a deep enough cut on the monster's leg, throwing it off balance. "Now!"

"Ryokai, Senpai!" Amanda growled while darting forward faster than any normal wolf, Michee letting her arrow fly before quickly knocking another one and releasing it even faster. Lucy darted forward before flicking her whip towards the monster, managing to wrap the whip around the beast's off-balance leg and pull, causing it to slip even further towards the ground.

"Kohai! Aim for the leg!" Michee yelled while knocking her fourth arrow, watching the first three fly toward the beast's chest before burrowing in to where only the edge of the feathered tip was seen. Amanda simply growled to show that she had heard before leaping up towards the leg that both Lucy and Taurus had managed to attack, biting down as hard as she could. "Let's see how you like this..." Michee muttered, letting the final arrow fly straight towards the spot between the monster's eyes. A few tense seconds passed as the arrow flew towards the beast, finally burrowing itself into the soft and unprotected flesh.

"Amanda, Taurus, get back!" Lucy shouted while releasing the grip of her whip and jumping back, Taurus and Amanda following her lead as the giant lost the last of his balance and fell towards the earth. A ground-shaking thud echoed all around them before the silence they had heard before came back.

"Well...that was easy..." Amanda panted while going to sit down beside Michee, but only made it a few feet before laying down. Michee just sank to the ground as soon as she was sure the monster has stopped moving, the bow and quiver fading away in wisps of yellow smoke. Lucy looked over at the girl's before slightly chuckling, the two had done well for their first official guild mission.

"Yeah...that's what worries me..." Michee muttered, lifting her head to look back at the monster, only for her eyes to widen in shock, startling the other three. What was making the girl look so scared? They had beaten the monster and secured their rent once and for all! ...Right?

"Senpai...are you-" Amanda's question was abruptly cut off as the foot of the monster swung around to kick the shape-shifted wolf into one of the nearer trees. Lucy turned around in shock as Taurus charged forward once again, sensing that the battle was not as over as they thought it had been.

"Taurus!" The Stellar mage's scream echoed all around them as the monster's leg, no longer showing any visible wounds, quickly stomped on the charging bull. A loud crunching noise was heard before the monster lifted his foot, making a strange rasping sound. "Taurus..."

"Nn...sorry, Lucy-san..." the bull manged to mutter, his eyes looking dull as he faded back into the spirit realm. Lucy looked even more shocked as she actually looked up at the monster. The leg that they had attacked was fully healed, no bite marks, scratch marks, welts or anything. His chest too, right where three metal-tipped arrows had pierced, showed no sign of damage. And his head...the wound that they thought had killed him...there was no arrow or hole between the eyes...just the eyes themselves, which were pure black with red iris', and they looked mocking.

"Lucy-san! Run! Go get the others!" Michee yelled, trying to snap the stellar mage out of her shock. The girl then tried to stand up and summon something else to help her, only to fall back down to the earth as her legs wobbled before giving out on her. "Lucy-san! You have to go! Me and Amanda don't have any magical power left! Lucy-sa-" The rest of the girl's yells were cut off as the gangly arms that had at first looked so weak, swatted her away, back towards the direction they had came from. "...Lucy...san..."

"What is this thing..." Lucy muttered while her eyes widened again. They had killed it. A speeding arrow straight through the head. It should be dead, but it looked as if it hadn't even fought them yet. The Fairy Tail mage finally snapped out of her shock as she saw the speeding hand coming towards her. The girl managed to jump backwards, just far enough to dodge the blow that had been meant to send her flying. "Alright then, if Taurus won't work, than I'll just call out another spirit!"

"I think not..." Lucy froze at the sudden voice that seemed to echo from all around them. It hadn't come from the monster, no, it sounded far more sinister than what that thing was capable of... The sound of the monster raising his foot snapped Lucy out of her pondering. Right, she could worry about that freaky voice thing later, right now she had to get rid of big and ugly. The only question was what spirit could she summon that would take this thing out?

"Open! Gate of the-" The chant meant to connect Earthland to the Celestial realm and call forth the stellar spirits was abruptly cut off. "Nan da...I can't...move..." Lucy's eyes widened as she realized that she couldn't even move her hand to grab her keys or whip, she was completely frozen to the spot. "No way...but..." The mage's eyes widened again as she saw the monster's foot racing down again, only this time, instead of Taurus taking the blow, it would be her. And she wouldn't be able to poof back to the spirit realm to rest up...she would be dead...

"Ice Make : Lance!"

"Ex-quip! Heaven's Wheel!"

"Fire Dragon's Roar!"

Lucy sighed in relief, a few tears prickling her eyes, as she heard the attacks that she had seen time after time. And to think she had worried about dying...how could she have forgotten that her crazy nakama would never let that happen to her. The stellar mage grinned, gasping as she abruptly fell to the ground as the spell that had held her in place broke.

"Lucy! Are you guys okay?" Lucy looked up as Happy flew over towards her, struggling to hold up a barely conscious Michee, a groaning wolf padding after the two.

"Happy..." The winged cat quickly, but gently, placed the pict mage down before flying over towards Lucy and hugging her, talking about a mile a minute as he tried to explain why the others where late and asking what had happened and if they were all alright. "We're fine, Happy. Just a little tired."

"A little? Speak for yourself," Michee grumbled while managing to sit up, Amanda padding up behind her and sitting down, keeping the elder propped up. "Ugh...thanks Kohai... What the heck happened...that thing was supposed to have died!" Lucy nodded grimly while looking back over at the monster, who was quickly losing to some of Fairy Tail's strongest. So far he had one arm frozen, one leg cut off and his head was on fire.

"Yeah...he was...but he didn't...he didn't even have any wounds..." Lucy muttered while sitting up, not feeling too bad since she hadn't used as much magic as the other two, she also hadn't gotten as hurt. Just a few scratches here and there.

"We apologize for being late," Erza spoke while walking back over the the three, the monster now collapsed behind them and slowly disappearing into small black particles. The warrior quickly ex-quipped back into her normal attire, smiling as she knelt down, "We had felt and seen the monster fall from where we were, we thought he had been defeated hence our late arrival."

"Jeez, that thing was so easy to beat...how did you guys have trouble with him?" Natsu raised an eyebrow while leaning his head against both his arms, which were crossed behind him.

"We did kill him...I shot the arrow that nailed him between the eyes...but then..." Michee trailed off while wincing and grasping her side, Amanda making a sympathetic noise while laying her head down onto her paws, not bothering to end the shape-shift spell. Sure it took magic power to stay in her wolf form, but it didn't take anywhere near as much as the amount of power Michee had used. Plus, the younger felt safer in her wolf form.

"What the hell...he didn't even look beat up when we showed up," Gray muttered while Erza raised an eyebrow. How did a monster die, yet come back with no wounds? Lucy shook her head before standing up, walking a few yards away from the other girls to retrieve her whip, which had fallen off her belt when she had been frozen.

"I'm not sure...it was like he...came back to life..." Lucy murmured while running a finger over her whip. The others exchanged looks, there was no monster that could come back to life like that. Erza looked surprised when Lucy's head suddenly jerked up, the girl's eyes wide with fear.

"Lucy, what's wrong?" Erza questioned while standing up, wondering what was causing the young mage to look so afraid. They had defeated the monster, for good this time. The warrior's head whipped around as she felt the earth shudder from a large object stomping onto the ground.

"Oi! How the he-" Gray's exclamations were suddenly cut off as the back of the monster's hand swung into him, knocking him back into Natsu before the two crashed into Lucy, who groaned as the two boys, who were heavy, lay collapsed on top of her.

"Why does this always happen to me..." Lucy muttered, tears about to fall from her eyes. One mission. Just one mission where she didn't come close to death or get flattened by Gray and Natsu. All of the mages looked up in shock once they heard the rough cackling noise of the monster. It sounded like the thing was gargling with rocks.

"You can't defeat him, little ones..." The others immediately pulled closer together, standing up and looking ready for battle. Natsu and Gray had rolled off of Lucy and were struggling to stand up, the blow from the monster doing more damage then they had first thought. Lucy however was half-sitting on the ground, having been about to stand up. She was looking even more scared than when she had been about to be stomped on by the monster.

"Lucy-san, what's wrong?" Michee asked, only realizing after she asked that there was a whole long wrong with the situation that they were in. Still though, she hadn't expected Lucy to look that scared...

"That voice...it's the same one that I heard before a spell was cast on me to keep me from moving..." Lucy muttered, shivering as her fingers curled around her whip. She didn't know why, but that voice scared her way more than the monster ever had.

"This one is much too powerful for you to handle..." the voice spoke up once again, it seemed to be almost purring. The sound seemed to snap Lucy out of her scared state as she stood up, looking determined as she backed up towards Natsu and Gray, thinking it best to stay in groups if there was something lurking out in the woods.

"Oh yeah?" Natsu yelled while finally managing to stand up, flames licking up the side of his arms, "_Nothing _is too powerful for a Fairy Tail wizard!"

"Aye!" Happy shouted, flying over to hover near Natsu, ready to fly the mage into battle if need be. At these words the voice chuckled, as if amused by what the dragon slayer had said.

"Don't be so quick to say that little ones...you can't even defeat this monster...and he's the weakest of us..." the voice purred once again, the sound annoying Lucy as she groaned to herself and used a hand to rub her aching head.

"Not again..." The stellar mage was close to tears as she realized that another simple mission had grown into something that was more suited for S-Class mages. One simple mission to pay the rent...that's all she had ever wanted... Instead she got a hundred foot monster and a freaky voice telling them that they were as good as dead.

Lucy had to wonder to herself...if she did reincarnate after dying here, would she be a stellar mage again? For some reason, she felt really sad that she might never be able to see Loke again, so being a stellar mage in her next life would be a good choice.

"Prepare to die, brats," the voice hissed, the sound of the trees rustling all around them as the others steeled themselves for battle against the enemy, one which they couldn't even see or locate. "Don't worry though...if you behave, we'll make your deaths swift and painless..."

"Well...at least we don't have to worry about the rent anymore..." Amanda nervously chuckled while shifting from paw to paw beside Michee, who groaned as she rubbed the bridge of her nose, trying to get rid of the pressure that her glasses and the headache were starting to cause her.

"That's the only thing you can think of? Lame Kohai...lame..." Amanda growled while glancing up at Michee, who looked just as stubborn as she looked down at the large wolf. Erza raised an eyebrow at the two while the others looked confused. They were choosing _now_ to argue?

"Urusai Senpai! It was the only witty thing I could think of!" Michee sighed while reaching into her bag and pulling out the small orange stick before pressing a button on the side, watching as it transformed into her usual staff. Quickly twirling it Michee looked back down at Amanda, who looked a little upset at her _witty _line.

"Oh Kohai...you still have so much to learn..." Michee muttered while grinning sadly and patting the wolf's head lightly, JayJay making a groaning noise from between them, as if not believing that the two were having this conversation _now, _in the middle of a fierce battle for their lives. Even the monster looked shocked and confused. Michee looked back at the monster, who was now staring at them. "Oh...now how about that line you came up with a few days back!"

Amanda looked up confused before a look of understanding passed through her eyes and she turned around to face the staring monster. Taking a deep breath she crouched low to the earth as her eyes steeled over, making her look like a fire-hound of hell, "Staring...not polite. Wanna know what else isn't polite? Murder. I'm willing to give it a try..."

"See! That sounded awesome!" Michee grinned while Amanda made a gesture that looked like she was enjoying the praise. A sudden hissing sound brought all of their attention towards the strip of woods right beside them, a pair of glowing red eyes glaring out at them before the voice spoke again.

"Insolent brats! Let's see how you deal with all of us!" Michee grinned while twirling her staff again and staring straight into the eyes of whatever it was that had been talking. The girl's twirling staff suddenly stopped as it pointed straight towards the best.

"Oh yeah? Then let's see how you deal with some of Fairy Tail's strongest wizards..."

"Nice..." Amanda muttered while grinning, which made her look all the more dangerous since she was still glaring at the monster and crouched to the ground. Michee just smiled as Erza ex-quipped to her armor and Lucy pulled out a key. Natsu's flames had already crawled up his arms and his eyes seemed to show a separate and more intense fire burning than the ones in his hands.

"I know, right?"

"AARGH!"


End file.
